Diary of a Wargamer
by BNSF1995
Summary: The diary of a teen who, with his twin sister, wargamed the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Starting in 1984, this fic goes through to the present day, with our unaging (literally) boys and girls wargaming using the Transformers toys, reacting to new releases, bemoaning the Action Masters and Beast Wars (initially), and fighting a brutal war. Contains graphic imagery. R&R
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story I came up with just today. Consider this a side project, and rest assured, **_**Monster World**_** and **_**Theodore Tugboat: The Real Stories**_** will continue. At the moment, **_**Monster World**_** is undergoing major re-thinking to implement the filler episodes mentioned in chapter 2, as well as improve the wording and add more dialogue (especially after reading **_**Nobody Dies**_**), and with **_**TT:TRS**_**, the first season stories require me to watch the episodes of TUGS, and copy the dialogue almost word-for-word (a few of you may notice a change in "Pirate", in which I don't have Captain Bob punish Theodore, but still have Theodore feel like he's being punished). And since the episodes tend to be dialogue-heavy, I have to pause the videos in order to copy down lines one at a time, and make other changes to dialogue in order to fit the characters, location, and plot.**

**But I digress. Onto the story!**

* * *

_The following is from the diary of a young man named Andy Sammonds. In 1981, he and his twin sister Katie were subject to a process stopping them from aging and effectively making them immortal. Several others who were either very wealthy (like the Sammonds family) or were chosen by the government as test subjects (mainly the elderly). The process was created following World War III, which ended with the Soviet Union's defeat (and with no nukes!)._

_The Sammonds Twins are perpetually 18 years old, as is Andy's girlfriend, Belle Johnson, and his overseas pen pals, Suki Honda of Japan, and Arthur Lawrence of England. Belle's uncle and owner of the local toy store, Mr. Johnson, is also immortal and ageless, stuck at the age of 64._

_The following entries are from April 29, 1984-September 17, 1984_

* * *

**Friday, April 27, 1984**

It was just another day in the Sammonds mansion. We lived in a nice mansion in the foothills of Portland, OR. It was two stories, but had a massive amount of space, with fifteen rooms (one of them was, of course, my bedroom, and another belonged to my beloved twin sister, Katie; IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!). The outdoor area was no slouch, either, with at least five acres of land under our ownership. My family was rich thanks to the Third World War.

In short, WWIII was a destructive conflict, even more destructive than World War II. Soviet forces actually landed on American soil and sought to annihilate anyone who wasn't a Communist, destroy all Western architecture, and annex the United States, all to exploit our oil, coal, timber, and uranium. Fortunately, with help from our NATO allies, the Soviets were evicted from America, and their invasion of Europe stopped cold in the Fulda Gap. And the best part? Not a single nuclear weapon was detonated during the war. All of that took place between 1979-1981. How did we get rich? All the war bonds we invested in made us richer beyond our wildest beliefs, allowing us to move out of the suburbs of San Jose, CA, to a nice home in the hills in Oregon.

Anyway, back to my day. I had just gotten home from high school. You see, I'm a senior, so once I graduate, I don't have to do anything for the rest of my life, in practice. But you see…I do. I want to do something with my life other than be the heir to the Sammonds fortune. I wanted a life…of fun. Little did I know a company in Pawtucket, RI was about to change that…

Walking through the door, the first thing I noticed was the fact that there was no one else home. _Katie must be down at Johnson's again,_ I thought. Johnsons is the local toy store, run by the uncle of my girlfriend, Belle Johnson. Oh, Belle. The apple of my eye. Your name is French for "beauty", and you pull off being beautiful without having to resort to makeup. The amount of times I've kissed couldn't be counted on both fingers, and the amount of love I have for you would make every girl at school jealous…and does. You and me, Belle, together forever. Literally, since she also underwent the immortality procedure.

That reminds me, you must be wondering about that, right? I know, this is a bit too much exposition, but bear with me. After World War III, Soviet technology was brought over the United States, and it was decided to make the true purpose of Area 51 public. The Groom Lake installation houses all of America's technological research, and also houses extraterrestrial objects. Experiments with dark matter reach its zenith when Soviet technology and scientists, and soon, they unlocked the secret to immortality. The world rejoiced, but the UN put severe restrictions on the use of the technology, fearing overcrowding of the planet. So, the wealthy were given first dibs. And my family, as well as the Johnsons, Hondas, and Lawrences, were privy to the procedure. It's really simple. All they do is place you under a light, then a beam is fired between your eyes, and that's it. No pain, no side-effects (unless you count the increase in strength).

BACK TO THE STORY NOW. I was certain Katie was down at Johnson's, so I went to the bathroom to…take care of business. Looking in the mirror, I looked myself over. With my dark brunette hair and hazel eyes, I was like my father. My clothes that day were simple: blue shirt, khakis, white socks, and white sneakers (you'd LOVE to know about the color of my underwear, wouldn't you?). Katie looked like me, only her hair was longer and perpetually in a ponytail (even at bedtime). Katie was a confirmed tomboy, having an aversion to jewelry and makeup, preferring to go au natural. On this day, she was wearing a red t-shirt, blue jeans, white socks, and black sneakers. Katie. Now there's an amazing young woman. I've loved her all my life, and she's loved me for just as long. We're so close, in fact, that there were whispers in freshman year whether we were an incestuous couple (let me dispel those rumors by saying they are TOTAL BULLSHIT).

After taking care of business in the bathroom, I went to my room. It wasn't much, really. It had a bed and a bookshelf with books on it. On my nightstand was a run-of-the-mill lamp, and on my desk was a model of the RMS Queen Mary (did I mention I dabble in models?).

Also in my room was a TV. Again, nothing too fancy, just a standard RCA model. I turned it on and changed the channel to CBS, which was having its afternoon cartoon block, made up of first-run syndication series, such as _G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero_. I could just never get into the series, despite the fact I always liked watching Cobra Commander and Destro go at each other, and the Baroness was always nice to look at (but not enough to distract me from Belle). The toyline was intriguing, but it never caught on with me and Katie. You see, one of our favorite pastimes is war gaming, which we did constantly throughout WWIII. Using miniatures from multiple games, we simulated the battles between the NATO and Warsaw Pact that dominated the nightly news. My Japanese penpal, Suki Honda, often sent me toys she thought would interest me. One toy in particular that piqued my interest was a toy made by a Japanese company called Takara. It was called Micro Man, and the toy in question was MC-05 Camera Robo Microx. The toy was three little robot men who combined to make a camera. It wasn't a functional camera, but nonetheless, I was really impressed (thank god for those Japanese classes or I wouldn't have been able to read those instructions).

I was watching _G.I. Joe_, and commercials came. It was nothing new, just commercials for local car dealerships and a McDonaldland commercial, plus an advertisement for Major League Baseball.

Then, it happened.

A commercial I had never seen before appeared. The animation looked…Japanese in nature. There was a voice, smooth and calm.

His narration was magnificent.

_It is a world transformed, where things are not what they seem. It is the world of THE TRANSFORMERS._

A group of singers sang the last two words of that second sentence, as three F-15 fighters transformed into robots. Singers begin to harmonize a tune I would never forget:

_The Transformers!_

_More Than Meets the Eye!_

_Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons!_

As the lyrics were being sung, the three robots attacked a power plant, and three cars came rushing out of a cave. One of them was a police car, another was a race car, and the third was a red Lamborghini. They went to the power plant, where the three robots that had transformed from jets were, along with another robot brandishing a giant black tube on its right arm. The three cars transformed into robots, and the grey robot with what appeared to be a black helmet fired from the black tube. It was a cannon!

The singing continued:

_The Transformers!_

_Robots in Disguise!_

The lyric "robots in disguise" was said in a very cool voice. Impressive how far voice modulation had come.

And then it appeared. The three car robots jumped offscreen, and out of the dust they created, came a Mack truck. The cab transformed into a robot and fired a big gun as the singers repeated the first two lines of the song.

The narrator said one last thing: _The Transformers, from Marvel Comics_.

When the commercial ended, I was speechless. It was just a thirty-second ad, but it had served its purpose. Ten seconds later, I responded.

"WHOO!" I cried, ""BEST! COMMERCIAL! EVER!" My mind was swimming with thoughts. What was this thing that suddenly had my attention? What was The Transformers? What? What?! WHAT?!

Instinct told me where to find the answers. I bolted out the door, then stopped to lock it, before heading down the path to the road, and ran as fast as I could into town.

Running on Main Street of the sleepy little town of Kimball, I found the place I was looking for.

It was a place that parents had to literally drag their kids out of. A golden wonderland of manufactured fun. The front was simple, with a brick façade and a sign that spelled it all out.

Johnson's Toy Shop.

I noticed the door was open, probably because Mr. Johnson wanted to cool the store down. This heatwave was killing us all, and the ice-packing plant down the road made it known with their ranting and raving in the paper this morning. Walking inside, the old place hadn't changed at all. Blue carpet, shelves lined with the latest toys from the top manufacturers, and overhead, train tracks with an LGB G-scale train. The store also had a section for comics, board games, and VHS tapes. The comics were mostly from Marvel and DC, but this being what the comic club at school calls the "Silver Age", I hardly paid them any attention. What I did like, though, were the Archie comics. The never-ending battles between Betty and Veronica over Archie always entertained, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch was a hoot, as well.

I looked at the comic shelves, scanning for what I came for. Then, I found it…almost. It was one of the placeholder cards Mr. Johnson often put to announce upcoming comics from the various publishers (he has quite a few connections). The card this time read:

**THE TRANSFORMERS #1**

**COMING MAY 8, 1984**

**FROM MARVEL COMICS**

I just about exploded with glee when I saw the announcement. And you know what? I did.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!" I shouted. A few people in the store stared at me, and gave puzzled looks. Noticing this, I turned to address them.

"Return to your lives, citizens" I said, "Nothing to see here."

These patrons were townspeople, and knew me well. They laughed and went back to their business. Then, a chuckle came from behind me.

"Is that Andy I hear?" said the voice. I turned, and saw the owner himself, Mr. Johnson. A man at the age of 64, he had a graying beard, and was also balding. But despite that, he, too, was immortal, thanks to being one of the randomly-selected test subjects for the immortality experiment.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Johnson" I said, "Sorry about the noise."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" he replied, "I love hearing cheering like that! Now, what's the cheering about?"

"This" I said, and pointed at the placeholder card.

"Oh, that" he said, "Marvel's newest venture. You know, I've been on the horn with them, and they said this isn't just a comic book series."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, apparently, they're making a big project out of it. In addition to the comic, there's also gonna be a toyline and a first-run syndication cartoon."

I was speechless. Really, I was. A toyline? AND a cartoon?

"So, tell me" asked Mr. Johnson, "Where did you hear about The Transformers?"

"I saw a commercial for it on CBS."

"Ah, yes, that commercial. When I saw that, I said to myself 'I gotta get that in my shop'. And lo and behold, it's on its way."

"I'll be here on launch day!" I said, excitedly.

"I'll do you one better. How about reserving a copy?"

"That sounds awesome!" I said. Wouldn't put a dent in my finances. I'm f*cking rich! Plus, back then, comic books were 75 cents. So, I handed him three quarters, and followed him to the register to get the receipt.

After getting the receipt, I turned to browse a little more. Wouldn't hurt to see what else they had. I looked in the G.I. Joe section, and found some figures I had never seen before, but like I said, I could just never get into G.I. Joe, especially since some of the images in the cartoon brought to mind Soviet bombers destroying my neighborhood back in San Jose. The whole event is still fresh in my mind. The explosions. The screaming. The blood. The giblets. The paratroopers menacing me with AK-47s before some marines saved me. Then, as me, Katie, and Belle were being evacuated in an army truck, the sight of a Soviet bomber crashing into the elementary school after being shot down by an F-15. Just like the F-15s that transformed into robots in that commercial. Now, I was still out of the loop on the whole thing. Who were the Autobots and Decepticons? How do they transform? Are they manned? Or are they autonomous? Questions, questions, questions. Hopefully the comic could answer them.

I returned to reality after having a mental debate with myself, as a pair of arms wrapped around me. I knew who it was.

I felt a head rest on my shoulder, and soft lips on my cheek. Then, a voice I've known my entire life.

"Hi, Andy" said the voice.

"Hi, Katie" I said, placing a hand on her head as she sighed. The deep bond between us was what got us through the war without losing our sanities. We were always there for each other, especially after seeing disturbing images on TV. I loved her, and she loved me. So much.

"So, what brings you down here?" she asked as she broke away from me.

"Well, I was at home, in my room, watching G.I. Joe on CBS, and then commercials came on. You know, for the car dealerships in Portland, and McDonald's, and baseball, and then I saw a commercial. A commercial that…it…" I was trying to search for the right words.

"What? What is it?" she asked.

"There are no words to describe how amazing it was" I finally said.

"How amazing was it?"

I divulged the details of the commercial, then what Mr. Johnson told me. As I did, Katie's eyes got bigger, and a big smile crossed her face.

"Andy" she said after I finished, "I think…I think this could be the future of our wargaming, don't you think?"

"It crossed my mind" I replied, "At least we can cull from a single toyline rather than have to buy a bunch of games just to assemble armies."

"I know, right? It gets SOOOO frustrating sifting through a bunch of miniature wargames just to find the miniatures we want."

"Comic comes out on May 8. We can use it to research battle formations."

"Sounds good."

Back at home, me and Katie were watching the 6 o' clock news while eating dinner. I was eating fruit salad, while Katie had a hamburger. Our parents were also home, eating in the other room.

The two of us groaned when we saw the weather report.

"This heatwave is KILLING US!" Katie shouted.

"It's killing the ice-packing plant more" I said, "Their rant in the paper this morning was the talk of the school. News flash: there's such a thing as a FREEZER!"

"Well, at least we have A/C" said Katie, "That's always a plus."

Then, it happened. I don't know why or how, but the commercial came on.

"Oh my god, Katie, there it is!"

Seeing the commercial a second time only ingrained it in my mind. Katie was sitting there, mouth agape, eyes bugging out. As the commercial ended, Katie just shut down and slumped on me.

"Thank you" she said weakly.

"For what?" I asked, softly.

"For introducing me to our next wargame scenario."

I said no more, and kissed her on the forehead. When Katie was happy, I was happy.

* * *

**Tuesday, May 8, 1984**

The bell rang, and me and Katie were the first out of the door. For two and a half weeks, we had anticipated this day. Belle was with us, as well, having been a longtime spectator of our wargames. Now Belle looked quite a bit like Katie (but with blue eyes and a slightly different face), and like her, was also a major tomboy, perpetually wearing her hair in a ponytail and having an aversion to makeup and jewelry (I should note that neither have ever had their ears pierced).

The three of us dashed towards Johnson's, and bolted through the door. Stopping to catch our breaths, we strode over to the comic section…

"Oh my god" said Katie in awe.

"It's beautiful" gasped Belle.

I was imitating a chorus of angels as I reached for it. Closing my right hand, I felt it.

"Ah, a plastic sleeve. Gotta keep this…"

Picking it up, the full beauty of the comic was revealed. On it was the truck cab robot, holding a smaller robot in its left hand while another robot streaked downward at a 45 degree angle. The faces of two humans were in the background. Mr. Johnson was watching from the register, beaming with joy that he had made our day.

Arriving back home, we went up to my room, sat on my bed, and carefully opened the plastic sleeve. Pulling out the comic, I got a good feel of it.

"This must be that high-quality Mando paper the comic club was talking about" I said.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense" exclaimed Katie, "Open it!"

And so I did. For the next twenty minutes, we found ourselves travelling to a whole new world. We met the Autobots and Decepticons, learned about their conflict, and met the cast.

By the time we reached the end, Katie was in tears. I could understand why, as I was near tears as well. I didn't like this comic. I loved it. I really, really loved it. Seeing the tears streaming down Katie's face, I pulled her into a hug, and she buried her face in my chest, allowing the warmth to spread on her face. We broke apart about a minute later, but I had no time to collect myself before Belle glomped me, thus starting another makeout session.

Five minutes later, we had stopped making out, and were now cuddling. Katie had left to give us some privacy, and had put the comic back in its plastic sleeve and on my nightstand so I could re-read it later.

Belle gave an affectionate sigh.

"That comic…was awesome."

"Mm, yes. And there's a cartoon coming out this fall."

"I'm gonna love that. But my newfound love for this greatness we call Transformers pales in comparison to my love for you, Andy."

"I know it does, Belle. I know it does."

And we softly, passionately kissed each other on the lips once more.

That night, I re-read the comic, and picked up some things I didn't get the first time. I also noticed art and continuity errors. Oh well, I thought. First issue of the series. Then, I saw something on the cover that made me break out in a cold sweat.

**#1 IN A FOUR-ISSUE LIMITED SERIES**

Knowing this could very well only last four issues, I re-read the comic again to savor it. I went to Katie's room, where she was reading an issue of Life with Archie.

"Katie."

"Oh, hello, Andy. Just watching Betty and Veronica go at it again."

"I saw something worrying on here just now."

"Really? What is it?"

And I showed her the subtitle at the top.

"Oh…oh…well…let's just hope it becomes massively successful. That's the only way to keep a comic series afloat."

After discussing some of the finer points of the comic, we hugged each other goodnight, and I drifted off to sleep. That night, I dreamed of battles between Autobots and Decepticons.

* * *

**Friday, May 18, 1984**

Today, I went down to Johnson's to see what was new. Belle was there helping her uncle create a new section. Some older toys that had been warming the shelves since 1974 were being removed and donated to the Salvation Army.

"Afternoon, all" I said as I entered the section they were working on. It was a pretty sizeable section, large enough to hold an entire toyline.

"Oh, hello, Andy!" said Mr. Johnson. Belle got off a stepstool she was standing on and walked over, and hugged me.

After we broke away, I walked up to Mr. Johnson.

"So, what's going on?" I asked.

"Shipment of toys came in today" he said. I turned to Belle. She looked like she was about to burst.

"You know what they are?" I asked.

"No, Uncle said it was a surprise. And I can't wait!"

Me and Belle spent the next hour helping Mr. Johnson set up, cleaning the shelves with Windex (I always loved the smell of this stuff), and setting up signs. The signs, though, were covered with bedsheets.

After a lot of hard work, everything was ready. Almost.

"There's something missing" I said.

"I know exactly what you mean, Andy" replied Mr. Johnson, "And I've got the solution!"

He got up on the step ladder, and took a bedsheet off a sign.

And everything went black.

When I came to, the first person I saw was Belle. Then Katie. And finally, Mr. Johnson.

"You alright?" asked Mr. Johnson, worry etched on his face.

"What happened?" I asked, groggily.

"You took quite the buster, Andy" replied Katie, "After you saw that sign."

I looked up at the sign and saw the very thing that made me faint.

**THE TRANSFORMERS**

**MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE!**

I looked at it, for a minute or two, still sitting on the floor. Then, I stood up.

And looked at the sign a bit more.

And screamed.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

All of a sudden, I was dancing all around the store, hootin' and hollerin'. Katie and Belle got in on it, too, and even Mr. Johnson laughed.

"BEST! DAY! EVER!" the three of us shouted in unison.

In just a few minutes, Mr. Johnson had brought out all of the toys. Me, Katie, and Belle were instructed to stay out of the section until everything was ready. So, we meandered amongst the Star Wars toys and me and Katie began reminiscing on a few particularly fierce wargame scenarios featuring Star Wars toys. If I had to pick the most fierce, I'd say it was the Second Battle of Hoth, in which Katie's Imperial forces were at a distinct tactical disadvantage, and she lost all of her AT-ATs before they could reach the shield generator. That, and Luke cut down a ton of snowtroopers and even dueled with Darth Vader. Another fierce battle took place on Yavin IV, in which we simulated the Evacuation of the Rebel Base.

After mulling around a bit, Mr. Johnson walked over with a big grin on his face.

"Alright, it's ready!" he said, excitedly, "Well, what are you waiting for? Come and see it!"

And so the three of us followed him to the new section, quivering in anticipation.

"No, no" Katie said, putting a hand over her eyes, "I am unworthy of basking in its glory!"

"None of us are worthy, Katie" I said in a kingly voice, "But we are the chosen of Cybertron, and 'tis our duty to see the war through."

"I just can't wait to see it unfold!" exclaimed Belle, excitedly.

Rounding the corner, we entered the section. And fell to our knees.

"Mother of God" said Katie in awe.

"We are not worthy!" cried Belle, groveling before the shelves.

I stood up, tears in my eyes, as I saw him. Taking the box in both hands, I looked at it, front and back. The box was made of cardboard, with a little window made of plastic showing just what was inside, never mind the awesome artwork on the left-hand side. Inside the window was the red and blue truck cab and grey trailer, with the Autobot insignia.

"Ladies" I whispered, "Witness…"

Unable to keep it from them anymore, I held the box aloft. Katie and Belle gazed in awe, to the point I swore I saw sparkles in their eyes. My hands were trembling, but I still managed to keep a hold on the box that held the Holy Grail of the entire line.

"AUTOBOT COMMANDER OPTIMUS PRIME!" I cried. Katie and Belle gave three shouts of "Huzzah!" as I brought the box to eye level. Looking at the back, I noted all of the features of this toy. He had it all: a Laser Blaster, two fists (left and right), Trailer/Combat Deck, Roller, four rockets, hose, nozzle, and fuel pump. I then reached for the nearest box on the toy shelf and found it was the tape deck player Decepticon.

"Communications Officer Soundwave" I whispered. I looked on the back of his box. Like Optimus Prime, Soundwave had it all: a rocket launcher, three rockets, a concussion blaster, and a cassette named Buzzsaw. Looking on the shelf, I saw a pair of blister card two-packs containing the other cassettes I knew in the comic: Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, and Laserbeak.

Scanning the shelf, I soon spotted everyone else I saw in the comic:

The Autobot Mini-Cars (Bumblebee, Brawn, Cliffjumper, Gears, Huffer, and Windcharger).

The Autobot Cars (Bluestreak, Hound, Ironhide, Jazz, Mirage, Prowl, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker, and Wheeljack).

The Decepticon planes (Skywarp, Starscream, and Thundercracker).

And last but not least, Decepticon Leader Megatron.

"So, whaddaya think?" asked Mr. Johnson.

I spent a few minutes looking over each toy before giving my answer.

"I'll take one of each" was all I said, and Mr. Johnson's face lit up.

"You know, Andy, you're the reason I stay in business." And he patted me on the shoulder as he rang them up.

Arriving back at the mansion with the haul of the entire Transformers toyline, me, Katie, and Belle rushed upstairs with the container full of all the toys, still boxed.

"This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy, we have an entire toyline" Katie muttered to herself.

"A bit smaller than I thought" I said, "But, then again, this is everyone who appeared in the comic."

Belle was on the porch, having noticed a package addressed to me. Bringing it in, she noticed the return address. The Honda Residence.

Suki had sent me another toy.

I carefully placed the boxes on my bed, Katie waiting with bated breath. Belle walked into the room just as the last toy had been placed on the bed.

"Hey Andy" she said, "You got a package. Suki sent it."

"Another toy?" I asked, "Wonder what it is?"

And so, I opened the package, and looked inside.

Then I got a nosebleed from pure shock.

It was him. Optimus Prime. Only without Autobot sigils. The packaging had Japanese writing on it, but I could clearly see what was on the trailer.

DIACLONE

I asked myself "What the f*ck am I looking at?!" Seriously, what was this? Was it Optimus Prime's evil twin? His wife? His third cousin? What? WHAT? WHAT?!

I sprang to the phone and called up Suki. It was probably nighttime in Saitama Prefecture, but then again, Suki tended to stay up late playing Atari 2600.

The phone rang. And don't worry, we're rich enough to pay long-distance charges.

"Konnichiwa?" said a voice.

"Hello, Suki" I said.

"Oh, hello, Andy!" she said excitedly. Her English was impeccable, and a stint here in America in a student exchange program had all but eliminated her accent. It was still noticeable when she spoke Japanese, though. "Calling about that toy I sent you? Cool, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is, but what is it?" I asked.

"It's Battle Convoy, from the Diaclone line by Takara!" she answered, excitedly.

"Battle Convoy" I echoed back, "Is that the Japanese name for Optimus Prime?"

Silence.

"I'm sorry, who?" Suki asked.

"There's this new toyline here in America called The Transformers, and the character Optimus Prime looks a lot like-NO, just LIKE Battle Convoy! The only difference is the decoration of the trailer and the…lack of human figures."

Suki fell silent again.

"Hello? Suki?"

"Who's making this toyline?" she asked after a minute.

"Hasbro, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island."

"Seems like Hasbro has imported the Diaclone line from Japan. Are there construction vehicles?"

"No."

"Jets?"

"Yes."

"Cars?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. I'm guessing only half the Diaclone line was imported."

"Does the Diaclone line also have a robot that transforms into a tape player, robots that transform into cassettes, and a robot that transforms into a Walthers P-38?"

"That sounds like Takara's other transforming robot line, Microchange. Hasbro must have imported a few items from that line, as well."

"Are the Diaclone and Microchange lines popular?"

"Very popular."

"Then I'm not gonna worry about the survival of this toyline."

"This all sounds very, very interesting. Keep me posted."

"Alright, Suki. Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Andy."

After hanging up the phone, I turned back to the toys still in their boxes on my bed. I knew there would come a day when Battle Convoy could come in handy, but for now, he would be filed away on my desk, not to be unboxed until needed.

One-by-one, I unboxed (or un-carded) each toy with care as Katie and Belle watched. When I got to Bumblebee, I noticed the blister card had a red version as well. Wondering who this was, I set the red one down on my nightstand, not sure what to make of it. Then, I go to Cliffjumper's blister card.

"What the-HEY!" I cried, "There's a yellow Cliffjumper on this card! In addition to the normal red one! What game is Hasbro playing at?! Trying to make the toyline look bigger? Well, a simple redeco isn't going to make your line look bigger! It's just gonna make you look lazy!"

Nevertheless, I now had two more toys than I expected. Placing the normal red Cliffjumper on my bed, I looked at the yellow Cliffjumper, and noticed a few subtle differences.

"I could make this one work" I said, "I'll name you Bumper." Then, I grabbed the red Bumblebee, and stared at it. It truly was a simple redecoration of Bumblebee.

"I'll call you…Hornet, Bumblebee's twin sister."

Placing the newly-christened Bumper and Hornet on my bed, I set about separating the toys into their respective factions. When all was said and done, I noticed something. The Autobots outnumbered the Decepticons! So does that make the Autobots the TRUE villains and the Decepticons just misunderstood? Then again, the amount of Decepticons I possessed corresponded to the amount of Decepticons in the comic. And the Decepticons were fighters compared to the Autobots, anyway. So, I guess the numbers game is moot here.

Katie was practically drooling over the toys. I hadn't transformed any of them yet, because I hadn't looked at the instructions yet. So, I looked on the back of Bumblebee's blister card, and found instructions. Following them step-by-step, in a just a few seconds, Bumblebee had gone from car to robot. As I went through the motions, my eyes widened as Bumblebee went from a penny racer to a little robot. Then, I did the same thing to the other Mini Cars, following the instructions on the back of their blister cards, and soon, I had an army of small robots.

Then, I turned to the larger toys. "Hoo-boy" I said, "Let's get to work."

Looking at the instructions, I carefully transformed each toy from car/jet/tape deck/gun/cassette to robot, each transformation bringing a smile to my face. Katie and Belle both watching, and looking at the boxes. Apparently, there was something on them called Tech Specs, which both were decoding using the red decoders that came with the toys. Then, Katie got a pad of binder paper to copy down the stats. We'd need them for our upcoming wargame.

When all was said and done, the three of us stood there, silently looking at the magnificent toys that now graced us with their presence. The war would start soon…but me and Katie had work to do first.

* * *

**July 10, 1984**

A day after me and Katie's birthday, and over a month since we graduated high school, we had started major construction on a project for the war. Before that, though, Belle had told us to go to Johnson's; issue #2 of the comic book series was out! Rushing down to get it, we fervently read and absorbed every detail, taking in the dire situation the Autobots were in.

Back at home, the two of us went out back to a site we had earmarked as the Ark crash site. We had purchased sand in bulk from the nearby sand quarry to create the desert scene, and used plaster to create Mount St. Hillary (which we realized was based on Mount St. Helens). Then, using parts from many plastic kits, we scratchbuilt a facsimile of the Ark, and created a cutaway section with the Ark's computer, repair bay for Ratchet to work at, and storage bay for the Autobots. All construction took place under an awning, and the awning would stay up at almost all times except for when the war is in progress (and especially in inclement weather).

Leaving the awning up so the plaster and glue could dry, me and Katie headed back inside for the other project: the surface of Cybertron. Constructing it in one of the empty rooms in the mansion, we scratchbuilt a good three square feet of Cybertronian city using kits from various model railroad manufacturers, making sure to leave some buildings half-finished to simulate a war-torn environment. We also intentionally damaged buildings and scattered some Gundam models around to simulate dead Transformers (we even made photocopies of Autobot and Decepticon sigils to stick on them, and even found a brand of similar transforming toys by Tonka called GoBots, which also made suitable set-dressing as civilians killed in a Decepticon act of genocide; our Cybertron was a vision of Hell, for sure). Scattering loose pieces of plastic around to simulate rubble, we then proceeded to do some kitbashing to create turrets. Using parts from Gundam and Revell kits, we created a defense grid, and then broke out the paints to add scorch marks to the buildings, roads, and dead robots.

Later that day, while eating lunch, I noticed something in Optimus Prime's box.

"Hey, Katie, there's something in Prime's box!" I said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's…some sort of flyer."

I looked at the cover, and on it was a thrilling-looking space battle. Starscream was firing some sort of pistol, to which I thought 'why is he using a pistol and not his null rays?'

Opening it up, I found it was a mail-order flyer.

"Robot points, eh?" I thought aloud.

"Sounds like a way to push more toys" added Katie, "I mean, would it KILL Hasbro to just release these toys in the stores?"

"Well, gotta have a secondary source of income."

"Ah, that is very true. These robot points, though. Seems like good motivation for kids to buy more toys."

Then, me and Katie looked at each other for a second or two, and rushed upstairs to find the boxes and blister cards for each toy; by now, they were all on my desk, waiting, psyching themselves, and taking in the calm before the storm. Sure enough, the boxes did indeed have robot points on them.

"I'll get the scissors" said Katie.

"I'll get the envelope" I said.

Under a minute later, we were back, and were cutting out the robot points and putting them in the envelope, along with the order form. We sprang for three Powerdashers and all three Omnibots.

"What about the Time Warriors?" asked Katie.

"Mm…I don't know" I said thoughtfully, "If you ask me, they're just fancy wristwatches."

"So, no-go?"

"No-go on the Time Warriors."

And so it was settled. The Powerdashers and Omnibots were the ones we would go with, and the Time Warriors would be left out (or deferred to a later date, if they were still available). Writing up the check (remember, we're filthy rich), we sealed the envelope and walked outside. Our first mail order, I thought. Reinforcements from Cybertron, indeed.

Then I remembered something on the order form.

"Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery".

Oh well, I thought. They can come in our hour of need, at least.

Still, though. 6-8 weeks? That could almost be two months!

* * *

**July 11, 1984**

The room that the Cybertron set was located in had a partition, so we opened it up to connect with the other room, and began laying the groundwork to expand the set, which was becoming rather elaborate as we added more and more details to it. The expansion would depict territory under Decepticon control, while the first part would depict the war-torn capitol of Iacon (as it was called in the first issue of the comic).

A few friends of ours from the model making club came to assist us. Bringing plastic molds with them, they churned out buildings for the new section, and also created models for the outdoor, "Earth-based" locations, such as a power plant, an oil refinery, a damn, and an elaborate set depicting our town of Kimball, OR (the first issue actually stated that the Ark had crashed near Portland, so we were tempted to make an elaborate Portland set, but decided to save it until we had a car of our own so we could do field research).

Later on, Belle came over to help in making a seaport along the shore of the lake on our property. With help from the model making club, we created a thriving container port, and also constructed a second oil refinery and an offshore platform. If the Decepticons needed energy, where else to get it than all these places we were building?

That evening, a topping-out ceremony for the last full skyscraper on the Cybertron set took place, and the model making club took their leave. Me, Katie, and Belle did an inspection of all the new constructions. By now, the glue had dried, and now, all that needed to happen was for the lines to be drawn. In other words, it was time for me and Katie to choose sides.

"We'll decide it based on a coin toss" I said.

"Deal" Katie replied. We had settled a similar dispute for the Evacuation of Yavin wargame.

Bringing out a quarter, I placed it on my thumb, ready to flip in the air like Two-Face.

"Alright, here's how it'll go" I said, "Heads is Autobots, Tails is Decepticons. Fair enough?"

"Sounds alright" she responded. Belle was spectating the whole thing, like she had for our last few wargames.

"Here we go" I said. And with a flick of my thumb, the quarter flipped into the air. Allowing it to fall to the ground, it landed on…

"Heads" I said, "So I'm the Autobots."

"That makes me the Decepticons, then" replied Katie. Then a sly smirk crossed her face. "You know what that means, right?"

"What?" I asked, puzzled.

"I'm coming for YOU! I'll bleed this whole planet dry and destroy your forces!"

"Tut-tut, Katie. You know my forces outnumber yours at least 5-2."

"Well, the Decepticons are fighters, and the Autobots are guerilla fighters. So, that gives my forces the superior firepower."

Now, before you ask, we were not arguing. We were simply debating the pros and cons of our sides. Katie was right, anyway. The Decepticons had better firepower, though technically, the Autobots easily outnumbered them.

A couple of minutes later, me and Katie were moving the toys to the Cybertron set. The set had been constructed with enough room for me and her to get down on the ground to move and manipulate the toys. All of the characters with weapons now had them in hand, and all were in robot mode, except for the cassettes, who were all tucked away in Soundwave, ready to carry out espionage.

"This will be our finest wargame" I said, "All other wargames will pale in comparison to the conflict that is about to unfold."

"The Decepticons will whoop. Your. ASS."

"The numbers game hardly matters, you know."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, Megatron has a FREAKIN' FUSION CANNON! And what's the best weapon the Autobots have? Optimus Prime's blaster. And just look at the Mini Cars. No weapons at all!"

"Let's say they have wrist-cannons and leave it at that."

"Alright, but what about their alt-modes? The Decepticons almost all have weapons in both modes, bar Soundwave. But then again, he's a tape deck in his alternate mode, so I guess he can use sound as a weapon? But what about the Autobots?"

I pondered for a few seconds. "Well…how about this: does shooting lasers from headlights sound cool?"

Katie was speechless at my idea. "That sounds F*CKING AWESOME! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?!"

Next, we drew the line between Autobot and Decepticon territory, and checked the smoke machines the model making club had put in the buildings; the smoke machines, by the way, were installed to simulate the smoke made by explosions of shots that miss. These were, after all, laser bolts being used.

"So" Katie inquired, "When do hostilities commence?"

That was a good question, indeed. I knew there was a cartoon coming out this fall, and I had no knowledge of what each character sounded like. Personality-wise, it was all in their bios, but what did their voices sound like?

"Let's consider this a lull in activity at the moment" I finally answered, "A few low-level conflicts here and there, but they don't go to Earth until after the first episode of the cartoon airs."

"Well" Katie asked, "When's that?"

"Not sure. Sometime this fall is what Mr. Johnson heard from Hasbro."

And with that, we left the toys in their positions; the Autobots in Iacon, and the Decepticons in their territory, all waiting in a Cold War situation like we were in before World War III. Optimus Prime and Megatron looked stone-faced, as if glaring at each other from afar. The other Autobots and Decepticons were in various positions: Ironhide and Prowl on the border guns akimbo, the Mini Cars ready to deploy, Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp aiming at the Autobots, Soundwave tending to a console, and the other Autobots doing various things.

The rest of the evening was spent figuring out battle formations, as well as putting contingency options into place if more toys were released. We also did a final check-out of the Earth-based locations, and covered them carefully with tarps to protect them from the elements when they weren't in use.

* * *

**Monday, September 17, 1984**

It seemed like just another day. Me and Katie were watching CBS' afternoon cartoon block, and lo and behold, G.I. Joe was on again. We weren't really doing anything that day, or for the past two months, really. The only moves made in our wargame so far were low-key recon operations, along with a bit of excitement when the not-too-bright Skywarp blundered into Iacon airspace. It was the first time we had used the smoke machines in the war.

But fortunately, the Omnibots and Powerdashers had arrived in the mail, and were placed on my nightstand to await the SOS signal from Earth. All three varieties of Powerdashers had come in the mail, as had the three Omnibots (Camshaft, Downshift, and Overdrive). What was cool about the Powerdashers is that they could be used for wartime maneuvers in both robot and alt-mode, and the Omnibots had concealed weapons in vehicle mode.

Then, the end credits for G.I. Joe were shown, and the continuity announcer announced the next show. He didn't say the title, just that it was a new show.

"New show?" I wondered aloud.

"Could it be?" asked Katie in wonderment.

"It could be, Katie. I've waited this long for it to come on."

After commercials, the show came on. What happened next caught us off-guard.

There was a flash, and then the Autobot and Decepticon sigils appeared. Then, Optimus Prime and a couple of Autobots were running on the Autobot sigil.

Me and Katie sat in stony silence as we saw the cartoon finally premiere. The intro sequence was awesome. The Autobots and Decepticons were battling in a generic wasteland. Skywarp threw Jazz, but he just transformed and drove at him. And Soundwave unleashed Laserbeak and Ravage, followed by Megatron turning into a gun. The opening theme did its job of getting me and Katie pumped up, as we cheered in anticipation.

For the next 30 minutes, we were reintroduced to the series, but I must say, it was rather different from what was in the first issue of the comic book series. For one thing, Ravage didn't speak at all, only making animal noises. There were also a few Decepticons I never saw in the comic, such as a trio of small robots who combined to form a camera. I instantly recognized them as the three components of the MC-05 Camera Robo Microx, a toy Suki had sent me. So, without knowing it, I had one more Decepticon in hand! There was also a Decepticon with a single eye named Shockwave, who spoke with a British accent. Where did he come from? I never saw that at Johnson's! Is he cartoon-exclusive? Or is Hasbro already planning to expand the toyline?

In addition, the characters I named Bumper and Hornet were nowhere to be seen (confirming my suspicions that these redecos of Bumblebee and Cliffjumper only existed to make the line look bigger), but there were a few more generic Decepticon jets who were never named (let alone said a single syllable), and some sort of crane that helped Hound out of a ravine. Furthermore, Ratchet and Ironhide had heads, which the toys didn't. Probably a side-effect of originally being human-controlled robots.

None of the humans in the comic appeared. There was a character who vaguely looked like Sparkplug Witwicky (and at this point, I'm guessing it IS Sparkplug), but Buster Witwicky, Jessie, and "O" were MIA. Now, maybe Buster was the guy who was with the alleged Sparkplug's son, or it could be a different character replacing Buster; I don't know.

What I did know, however, was that me and Katie now knew what a majority of the Autobots and Decepticons sounded like. Of all the voices, Soundwave's was the coolest. What's more, I recognized Casey Kasem as Cliffjumper, Don Messick as Ratchet, and Frank Welker as Megatron (he was probably a bunch of other characters, too, given his track record). However, we still didn't know what Huffer, Gears, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Trailbreaker, Bluestreak, and Windcharger sounded like, and Buzzsaw was nowhere to be seen!

So, we decided to give it another two episodes until we knew what each character sounded like, and we had more information.

Still, we headed to the Cybertron set for the daily cleaning. Using a mini-vacuum, me and Katie cleared dust from the structures and streets, and also gave each Autobot and Decepticon a nice dusting. Then, we went outside to clear leaves from the Earth-based sets, and ensure they were insect-free. With our work complete, we headed back inside. Right as the phone rang.

"Hello, Sammonds Residence, Andy Speaking."

"Andy!" cried an excited-sounding voice. It was Belle.

"Yes, I saw it!" I said, in an equally excited-sounding voice. It was as if I knew what the purpose of her call was.

"Wasn't it awesome?!" she asked.

"YEAH, IT WAS AWESOME!"

"Right when it was beginning, I pressed record on the VCR, so if you and Katie need reference material, I've got a tape ready to go."

"Sounds good, Belle. I may need that tape to get some reference on those Decepticon jets at the beginning of the episode. You know, the ones that WEREN'T Starscream, Thundercracker, or Skywarp."

We chatted for a few more minutes about the episode, such as the fact Ironhide and Ratchet looked almost nothing like their toys in robot mode, as well as about Shockwave, the mysterious orange crane, and Reflector.

Then, I hung up, Belle having agreed to come over with the tape while I went down to Johnson's to tend to some business. Katie was breaking out the paints and getting the Camera Robo Microx to affix Decepticon sigils to it and paint over the label that said "MICROX".

When I got back, Belle was there with the tape, and Katie had set the newly-rechristened Reflector out to dry. With me was at least four Skywarp toys, all ready to be repainted to look like the unnamed, non-denominational Decepticon jets who appeared in the opening scenes.

Belle was told by Katie beforehand what I had in mind, so she had already gotten the episode to the point where the unnamed jets were, and paused it.

"Katie, you have the paints?" I asked.

"They're all here and ready" she answered. The paints were all from the hobby shop, all made by Testor and Tamiya. Also here was an airbrush. Pulling the Skywarp toys from their boxes, Katie and Belle worked to put masking tape on the parts where paint wouldn't be applied, such as the cockpit and Decepticon sigils.

After getting the paints ready for use with the airbrush (IE mixing in thinner and water), Katie and Belle opened up all the windows to assist in airing the house out, since I was working with solvent-based paints. Taking the first Skywarp toy, I set to work, meticulously repainting the toy to look like one of the unnamed jets. I kept looking back and forth between the toy and the television set to get the details just right. With the main color scheme (this one was the orange one), I got a paintbrush and added the red trim. My work on this toy complete, I turned to the second toy. Engaging a jar of medium-blue paint to the airbrush, I began spraying as Katie and Belle carefully picked up the freshly-repainted jet and took it to the window sill to dry. The process went on until all four toys had been repainted to match the jets seen on screen.

After a few hours, the paint had dried, and the jets were brought to the Cybertron set and added to the Decepticon army.

"Megatron's probably pleased with these reinforcements" Katie ascertained.

"Probably" I said, "That's eight new soldiers for your army alone today."

"You still have more, though" Katie sighed.

"Well, hopefully Hasbro will release Shockwave soon."

"You're right. They probably will, if he's part of a future lineup."

We decided to treat ourselves for our hard work, so we went to McDonald's for dinner. After dinner, me and Belle kissed each other goodnight and headed to our respective homes.

Arriving back at home, we headed up to the Cybertron set. It was time for a few covert operations.

_The following is a visualization of a covert operation carried out by Bumblebee and Hornet._

It was nighttime in Iacon. Smoke hung heavy in the air, as did the smell of burning steel. Deceased Autobots and Decepticons littered the streets, and the victims of many a genocide lie dead amongst the ruins of the once-thriving planet. The skyline had been decimated in the fighting, and if you had been in stasis up until now, you'd be in for a shock. Autobot Commander Optimus Prime was briefing the Autobots on an upcoming covert operation.

"As you all know," he began, "the current energy crisis has reached a head. This war may have calmed down, but that's only because the Decepticons are also starving for energy. There is little, if any, energy left on Cybertron. Now, Huffer is overseeing construction of a spaceship that will take us on an expedition to find a new source of energy. We call it the Ark. Our mission will be to locate the energy, mine it, and bring it home to re-energize Cybertron and make sure none of us starve to death. But until the Ark is complete, we need someone to go out and find any scraps of energy. Bumblebee, Hornet, as our most skilled spies, I'm counting on you two to venture into Decepticon territory to sap some energy from the Decepticons, just enough to keep the lights on for a little while longer."

"We'll get right on it, Prime!" saluted Bumblebee. Hornet, Bumblebee's twin sister, mimicked his salute.

Wheeljack, the resident inventor, walked up to them. "These capacitors are designed to sap energy from any and all electronics. Even Decepticons. Just place it on anything running on any form of energy, press the button, and boom! Instant sappage!"

Bumblebee and Hornet transformed into vehicle mode, and opened their trunks to allow Wheeljack to load the capacitors. Seconds later, they zipped off out of Iacon…

…and into Decepticon territory. No-bot's land.


	2. Chapter 2

_The following entries take place between September 17-December 29, 1984._

* * *

Nighttime on Cybertron. The air in Iacon was cold, and the winds were stagnant. Cybertron didn't orbit a star; it was a runaway planet, desperately seeking a gravitational source. This meant that all of the solar farms were ineffective. Not that they would have any effect at all, seeing as how they had all been destroyed over the course of the wars between Autobots and Decepticons. Despite the chilliness of nighttime on Cybertron ever since several massive explosions knocked Cybertron from the orbit of an M-class star, two Autobots braved the extreme temperatures to carry out their mission.

Driving along one of the main thoroughfares in and out of Iacon, Autobot Espionage agent Bumblebee and his twin sister, Hornet, went a bit slower than usual so as not to attract attention from Decepticons. They would have liked to gone underground, but Optimus Prime said no, citing the need to conserve energy, something headlights took a bit of. Besides, it would be better to run dark for stealth reasons.

"Hey, 'bee?" asked Hornet. She always abbreviated Bumblebee's name to "'bee".

"Yeah, Hornet?" replied Bumblebee.

"You nervous?"

"I'll be honest: I'm this close to springing an oil leak. I mean, it's nighttime, and we're driving into Decepticon territory with only our wrist-blasters. So, yes, I'm extremely nervous."

"Just stick close to me, okay, 'bee?"

"Of course, sis."

A few minutes later, they passed a ragtag, rusted sign that said "I'd Turn Back If I Were You". This was it. They had left the relative safety of Iacon and crossed over into no-bots land.

Decepticon-held territory.

* * *

Running with no lights, you'd think they would get lost. Thing is, though, that Bumblebee and Hornet had crossed into this polity so many times that they could navigate their way around with their optics closed. So, really, running with no lights was child's play.

Bumblebee and Hornet stopped, quickly transformed, and hid. A Decepticon was coming. Peeking around the corner, they saw it was a large blue Decepticon with a red visor.

Communications Officer Soundwave.

"SOUNDWAVE REPORTING" he said in his monotonous, heavily-modulated voice, "STATUS NORMAL."

"Another boring patrol, eh, Soundwave?" said a voice on Soundwave's communicator. It was a voice Bumblebee and Hornet knew all too well.

"AFFIRMATIVE" Soundwave replied.

"Better turn in for the night, Soundwave. The nightshift will take over."

"AFFIRMATIVE" was all Soundwave said before he departed to head back to headquarters. After he was gone, Bumblebee and Hornet came out from their hiding place, transformed back to vehicle mode, and resumed driving, quietly, and with no lights on.

The nightshift was never very competent. But what Autobot would be bold enough to go into Decepticon territory at night? Bumblebee and Hornet, that's who. The nightshift consisted of four jets: a yellow-orange jet, a dark-blue jet, a medium-blue jet, and a lavender jet. They weren't the brightest, but they got things done, if only because of the bullying of their commander, Air Commander Starscream.

Starscream, of course, was always dreaming of taking leadership from Megatron, but was rather low-key about it. Megatron knew, but seeing as how Starscream was quiet about it, and was loyal and skilled, never said anything on the matter. If anything, Starscream often joined in on heckling other, incompetent soldiers. Besides, Megatron knew Starscream's dreaming could turn to active scheming one day, so he served as a reminder to watch his own back. Anyone of his subordinates could be dissenters.

Finding one of the night guards (the lavender jet), Bumblebee transformed and got a capacitor out of his trunk. The jet, thinking it was one of his comrades, ignored the sounds and continued on.

Capacitor in hand, Bumblebee did a series of silent rolls to get behind the guard.

"Alright, Decepticon" whispered Bumblebee, "Get ready for a nap."

And Bumblebee attached the capacitor to the guard, and turned it on. The jet suddenly found all of his power being drained. He was about to cry out to alert his comrades, but Bumblebee covered his mouth. As the last of his power drained, the jet's optics got heavy…and he fell into a deep sleep.

Easing the now-in-sleep-mode Decepticon onto the ground, Bumblebee hid the jet in the shadows, while handing the now-full capacitor to Hornet. Taking the capacitor in servo, Hornet put the capacitor on the other side of her trunk, so she wouldn't accidently grab it and overload it to the point of explosion.

The two Mini Cars did the same thing to the other three guards, and then proceeded to one of the conduits providing power to the base. These conduits were periodically cranked by servo, usually by a guard on patrol, but tonight, with all four guards out of commission, no one was on station. Hornet attached a capacitor, and began draining power.

"This is probably gonna attract attention" said Hornet, "But we've gotten out of Decepticon facilities with much more security than this."

She was right. Monitoring the power, Thundercracker, a Warrior, noticed a sudden drop in a vital bus bar keeping the lights on. Flickering followed suit, and seconds later, he was rushing to the command center.

"My leader!" he said as he ran into the command center.

"What is it, Thundercracker?" snapped Megatron, "Can't you see me and Soundwave were planning a new strike on Iacon?"

"But, sir! Bus bar A is malfunctioning!"

Megatron pondered for a second. "Come to think of it, the lights did flicker a bit. Something must be wrong with the conduits."

The lights flickered even more. "That confirms it. Starscream!"

"Yes, sir?" said Starscream, saluting.

"Go out and check on the conduits."

"Right away" Starscream complied. If his jets weren't cranking the conduits, they were SOOOOO gonna get it!

A few minutes later, all of the lights in the command center went out, lifts stopped with a jerk, pneumatic doors wouldn't open or were stuck in half-open positions, and computers went off.

"What just happened?" asked Megatron as he stumbled around in the dark.

"WE HAVE LOST ALL POWER" stated Soundwave, "LASERBEAK IS SEARCHING FOR THE CAUSE."

"Megatron, come in!"

"I'm here, Starscream."

"All four guards are in shutdown mode!"

"What?! How?!"

"I'm not sure, but it's no doubt the Autobots are responsible!"

"Bring those idiots back here and get Thundercracker and Skywarp ready to attack Iacon!"

"Oh, of course, Megatron! I've been meaning to settle a few scores…"

By the time Laserbeak had scoured the area around the command center, Bumblebee and Hornet were long-gone and back across the border. They had even taken a few energy conductors with them. All of the capacitors were full of energy, which would keep the lights going for quite some time.

Back in the command center area, Soundwave had sent Rumble and Frenzy to crank the conduits.

"Man, this is too hard!" whined Rumble.

"Preach it, brother" replied Frenzy. And he wasn't speaking figuratively. Rumble and Frenzy truly were brothers.

"When I get my servos on those guards…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp were streaking towards Iacon, ready to open fire on the defense grids.

"Enemy aircraft inbound!" said Prowl in Iacon Central Command.

"Fire a warning shot" replied Optimus Prime.

Several rounds were fired from the cannons hidden amongst Iacon, exploding in midair.

"That's it!" panicked Skywarp, "I'm turning back!"

"Don't deviate from your course or I'll make sure those cannons are the least of your worries!" snapped Starscream.

"They're not turning back!" exclaimed Wheeljack.

"Fire all batteries!" commanded Optimus.

All of the anti-air batteries went off, filling the skies above Iacon with lasers and missiles. Thundercracker and Skywarp were taken off-guard, but Starscream had expected this. Megatron had a tendency to underestimate Autobot capabilities.

"Break off!" ordered Starscream.

"I'm turning back!" cried Skywarp.

"Stay and fight, you coward!" snapped Starscream. And he cut off Skywarp's escape route, then bumped him hard.

"Ow! Hey!" cried Skywarp in pain.

"There's more coming if you DON'T START BLASTING THOSE BATTERIES RIGHT NOW!" roared Starscream.

Getting the message, Skywarp began dropping altitude, Thundercracker following suit. Starscream led his two subordinates below the anti-air fire and into a trench. They were met with laser fire from the heavy batteries located in the trenches of Iacon.

"The guns" said Thundercracker, "They've stopped!"

"Keep your eyes open" said Starscream, "Watch for enemy contacts."

"THEY'RE COMING IN!" cried Skywarp, "THREE MARKS AT 5 o' clock!"

It was indeed three Autobots. Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and Bluestreak jumped from the shadows and sped along the trench.

"I'll take all three of them easily!" bragged Sunstreaker the sociopath.

"Don't get cocky, 'streaker" cautioned his brother Sideswipe, "Starscream is a highly-skilled combatant."

"Not skilled enough!"

Starscream noticed the three Autobots, but didn't panic.

"Skywarp! Get behind them!"

And so, Skywarp teleported behind the three pursuing Autobots. The pursuers had become the pursuees!

"He's right behind us!" cried Bluestreak.

"Not for long!" said Sunstreaker.

In seconds, Sunstreaker had transformed, jumped into the air, and punched Skywarp right in the nose, causing him to crash as his aerodynamics were disrupted. Crashing to the ground, Skywarp skidded along the trench and came to a grinding, screeching halt. Starscream and Thundercracker circled around, transformed, and landed.

"Now, look what's happened, you fool!" growled Starscream.

"It was that Sunstreaker—"

"I DON'T WANT EXCUSES! GET UP! NOW!"

But before Skywarp could, the Autobots began firing on them.

"Find cover!" shouted Thundercracker. But unable to find suitable cover in the trench, Starscream and Thundercracker picked up Skywarp, propped him on his side, and used him as a makeshift barrier, then began to fire their null rays.

"This is embarrassing…" moaned Skywarp.

"Well THIS is what you get for not opening fire, you dunce!" Starscream cried over the laser bolts whizzing by.

The Autobots slowly advanced their position, which was Starscream's cue to move on.

"Thundercracker, Skywarp, transform!"

And the three jets took off down the trench once more, the three Autobots in hot pursuit.

"Wait" said Bluestreak, "This trench is the roadway to the energy exchangers!"

"They must be going for the power plant!" Sideswipe shouted.

"Excellent deduction, Autobots!" taunted Starscream, "Shame you won't be telling Optimus Prime about it!"

And Starscream slowed down to get behind the Autobots, and opened fire. Shots hit the Autobot trio, and they came to a stop.

"Are they still online?" asked Thundercracker.

"Who cares! They're too damaged to maintain the pursuit and that's all I need!"

The three Autobots certainly were in dire straits. Sunstreaker had blast marks all over him, Bluestreak had lost his spoiler, and Sideswipe, while not nearly as bad off as his comrades, had engine damage.

"Sideswipe to Iacon Command! Come in!"

"We read you, Sideswipe."

"Prime, me and my boys got hit hard by Starscream! We can't maintain pursuit!"

"Are you alright?"

"We're still online, but we can't move under our own power!"

Optimus sighed. They were basically, in a word, dead in the water.

"We'll send help immediately."

"Oh, and one more thing: Starscream and his subordinates are headed for the power plant!"

"We'll send reinforcement to the plant immediately."

Ceasing transmission, Optimus turned to the other Autobots.

"An attack on the power plant is imminent. Ironhide, I want you, Jazz, Wheeljack, and Brawn to defend the power plant. Cliffjumper, you take Gears, Bumper, and Windcharger to the border to guard against a potential follow-up, and make sure to watch for Bumblebee and Hornet. They've got a hefty energy haul."

"Yes, sir!" saluted the Autobots.

"Ratchet, I also have a job for you. Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Bluestreak have been damaged, and can't move under their own power."

"I'll tend to them right away, Prime" Ratchet saluted.

* * *

"There it is! The power plant! With the power in this plant, the Decepticons can launch our final attack on Iacon!" exclaimed Starscream.

"But how are we gonna get the energy back to HQ?" asked Skywarp.

"I've got energon cubes ready to go" Starscream replied.

Landing at the plant, they found the bodies of Autobots and Decepticons who fell in battle. There were no defenses, as the sentry guns were all destroyed.

"No welcoming party" noted Thundercracker.

"Perfect" was all Starscream said before he and his subordinates set to work filling the energon cubes with energy.

"Get as much as you can" said Starscream, "And then plant the charges."

"Roger" replied Thundercracker.

"What charges?" asked Skywarp, absentmindedly.

"The same charges we've been using for thousands of years!" Starscream snapped back.

"Ooooohhh, those charges."

"Yeah, those charges…"

With the cube-filling complete, Thundercracker and Skywarp began planting explosive charges. The plan was to siphon off energy, then destroy the plant.

"Now, let's get back to HQ!" ordered Starscream.

"Not so fast, Decepti-creeps!" a voice drawled.

"Ironhide!" exclaimed Thundercracker.

Ironhide was riding on his turret platform, with Jazz, Wheeljack, and Brawn walking alongside. Jazz had drawn his photon rifle, Wheeljack had his shoulder cannons primed, and Brawn had his wrist blaster ready.

**(A/N: From here on out, I'm switching to more of a summary format for the war. Real-life will also be more diary-like, because who would really have that much dedication to a diary as to remember all of his conversations?)**

Despite the Decepticons having superior weapons, it was still a stalemate. It always seemed to be a stalemate.

A few days later, the Ark was ready for launch. The crew is as follows: Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl, Wheeljack, Jazz, Bluestreak, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Hound, Mirage, Bumblebee, Hornet, Cliffjumper, Huffer, Gears, Bumper, Brawn, and Windcharger. The energy that Bumblebee and Hornet had stolen was more than enough to power the ship. Once all crew members were onboard, the engines roared to life, and the Ark was away on its recon mission to find a new source of energy.

But Megatron had overheard their plans thanks to one of Soundwave's cassettes, Laserbeak. The warship _Nemesis_ had also been primed for launch, and lifted off shortly after the Ark. The warship's crew consists of Megatron, Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, the four unnamed jets, Soundwave, Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Reflector.

Shortly after getting underway, the Ark encountered a pair of asteroids that collided, causing a meteor shower that buffeted both ships. The Ark managed to clear a path using a laser beam, but this used up too much power, leaving the ship dead in the water, so to speak. This gave the Decepticons the perfect opportunity to board the ship, causing a fistfight to break out between the crews.

In the fighting, though, no one was piloting either ship, sending them on a collision course with another planet. The _Nemesis_ broke away from the Ark, and the Ark crashed into a volcano, sending everyone aboard into stasis.

* * *

4 million years later, the volcano erupted, shaking the computer Teletraan 1 active. The computer made no distinction between Autobot and Decepticon, and repaired and reformatted every single robot aboard.

The Decepticons left the Ark to get their bearings. Soundwave scanned various computers around the world, and found out the name of the planet was Earth, also taking note of how primitive the computers and the technology as a whole were. Realizing that the planet was rich was energy sources, Megatron gathered the Decepticons up and departed to plunder energy.

The Autobots were slow to get their bearings, so Optimus Prime sent Cliffjumper and Hound to scout out the situation. Locating the Decepticons destroying a substation, Cliffjumper shot at one of the unnamed jets, as Soundwave sent Laserbeak in pursuit. The duo managed to lose the Decepticon, but sustained damage. They relayed their findings to Optimus as Ratchet was repairing them.

Meanwhile, the Decepticons were beginning construction of a new space cruiser, and Starscream was put in charge of finding raw materials. Construction was coming along nicely, but the Decepticons were still short on energy. Fortunately, Laserbeak had located an oil platform, and the Decepticons set off to steal energy.

Jazz, meanwhile, assembled a battle group to attack the Decepticons. Finding them at the oil rig, a battle ensued as the Decepticons began pumping oil into Energon cubes. The battle swung in the favor of the Decepticons, and Megatron destroyed the platform and ignited the spilled oil.

It was at this point me and Katie stopped. We had no idea what happened next. That would have to wait until tomorrow.

* * *

**September 18, 1984**

The second episode of the cartoon aired today, _More than Meets the Eye, Part 2_. Boy, what an episode. The Decepticons attacked a dam called Sherman Dam (we ourselves constructed a dam for the wargames), then converted rubies from a mine in Burma into energon. At episode's end, Thundercracker and Skywarp captured Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime was last seen sliding down a hill on his side, knocked over by the force of the explosion.

Our favorite part had to be Optimus Prime and Megatron's battle atop the dam. I mean, Optimus had a light-axe, and Megatron had a light-morning star. Can't get better than that! There was a…questionable scene, though, when Hound was giving CPR to Spike. It looked like…well, you get the picture.

Speaking of Spike, turns out he IS the replacement for Buster. And the other guy was truly Sparkplug. Jesse and "O" were still nowhere to be seen, and I assume they didn't make the transition to the cartoon.

Anyway, Belle had taped the episode, and we began picking it apart, spotting animation errors, things we didn't notice the first time through, and how the Decepticons had suddenly amassed more nameless jets, at least nine of them. This prompted me to go out to Johnson's. When I got there, I found the Transformers section mobbed by kids and their parents. I asked myself "Is it really that popular?" and Mr. Johnson said "Yes, yes it is". Fortunately, the store cleared out in a few minutes, and I saw the shelves were almost empty. But Mr. Johnson had gotten a new shipment, so I helped him restock the shelves. I then bought nine Thundercracker toys. When asked why, I said I was going to repaint them into generic jets from today's new episode. Mr. Johnson understood, but told me he could procure unpainted toys thanks to his industrial connections. Fair enough, I said, so I didn't buy the nine Thundercrackers, and Mr. Johnson got on the horn with the factory. They'll be there by tomorrow. Perfect. Katie will be pleased to have at least eighteen new warriors. Now, the Autobots wouldn't outnumber the Decepticons anymore.

Back home, the wargame continued. The Decepticons made a beeline for the dam to get more energy for their new cruiser, to which the Autobots responded. The Decepticons arrived first, and Soundwave ordered Rumble to go underwater and start making a tidal wave to push the dam to its limits (we didn't actually submerge our Rumble toy, if you're wondering).

In the control room, personnel were alarmed, and the foreman ordered everyone to their emergency stations as Megatron and the Decepticons burst in. Energon production began in short order, but the Autobots arrived as the Decepticons were about to leave. A pitched battle occurred as Optimus and Megatron dueled atop the dam, ending with Optimus being distracted and knocked into the river by Megatron as he flew away laughing evilly. The Autobots regrouped, recovered, and planned their next move.

A bit later, at the Decepticons' star cruiser, construction was almost complete when a turret malfunction occurred, draining some of the energy. The Decepticons planned out their next moves: attack a ruby mine in Burma, then hit a rocket base for rocket fuel.

This plan was picked up by Trailbreaker, who relayed the news back to base. Meanwhile, the Decepticons had flown to Burma, killed all the miners, and set up an efficient mining system. They had produced enough energy to re-energize Cybertron, and were about to depart and leave the mine to burn when the Autobots showed up outside. Optimus sent Roller inside to plant an explosive device created by Wheeljack that would trap the Decepticons. But it went awry when Thundercracker and Skywarp found Roller. Fortunately, though, the device was planted, and 60 seconds later, it detonated.

And that's where me and Katie left off, since we didn't know what would happen next. For those of you interested, the mine was not a new-build. Rather, we made a pillow fort in a downstairs room in the mansion and used translucent vacuum tubes to make the mining system. The rubies were represented by red rock candy, and the energon cubes were red 2x2 LEGO bricks. An effective simulation, if I do say so myself.

Right now, the war is in its very early stages, but as time goes by, the unpainted jets come, and Hasbro releases more toys, I sense a massive conflict in the future.

* * *

**September 19, 1984**

The third and final episode of what I can assume is a miniseries aired, and boy, was it a thriller. Optimus Prime was helped back up, Roller was OK, Megatron beat the everlasting crap out of Starscream, the Decepticons attacked a version of Cape Canaveral, lifted off, Starscream tried his luck again, the cruiser crashed, and the world's governments agreed to give the Autobots the energy needed to re-energize Cybertron.

Earlier in the day, I picked up the eighteen unpainted Decepticon jets from Johnson's. The store was REALLY crowded as the blitz to get Transformers toys was on. Beating a hasty retreat when two moms got into a fight over a Megatron, I returned home, and me and Katie set to work painting the toys to resemble the nameless jets seen in the second and third parts. Belle came over after the episode with the tape for the third episode, and we pored over them to get reference for the jets. What was nice was that these toys already had the Decepticon sigils and the cockpit canopies already in place. Breaking out the hobby paints and airbrush, and putting masking tape over the Decepticon sigils and cockpit canopies, we set to work, and soon, Katie had nine new troops, outnumbering the Autobots at long last. As for the other nine, we had a feeling there'd be more nameless jets in future episodes, if there were any, and we felt there certainly would be.

Anyway, the war continued as the Decepticons attacked a rocket fuel refinery. Megatron was on to the Autobots' plans, so he had scrap drones attack the fake rocket base created by Hound. The Decepticons now had enough energy to re-energize Cybertron, and lifted off. But Mirage stowed away, destroyed the reactors, and escaped the cruiser before it crashed into the ocean. The Autobots knew the Decepticons weren't dead, though, so they decided to stay on Earth to defend humanity.

That is the end of having to adhere to the cartoon. From here on out, we're fighting this war on our own terms.

* * *

**October 2, 1984**

Checking in with a situation report. The war is not going well for the Autobots. Despite the Powerdashers and Omnibots arriving from Cybertron and bolstering my own ranks, Katie's Decepticons are still steamrolling us. Our most powerful weapon seems to be Optimus Prime's combat deck, but even then, the Decepticons outnumber us. It's been an absolute hell, what with the power plant being attacked on a daily basis to the point I have to leave a garrison, and the container port being left in ruin.

But, oh well. Can't worry about that now, because the third issue of the comics came out today. This one actually made me question what they're up to, because they had the BALLS to have Gears team up with Spider-Man! Yes, THAT Spider-Man! What the hell?! Did Stan Lee stipulate that the Transformers comic series had to be in the same universe as the rest of Marvel comics?! What's next: Iron Man vs Megatron? I guess so.

Spider-Man was wearing the black symbiote suit, but they did clear up the discrepancy by saying _Transformers_ #3 takes place before _Spider-Man_ #258. The fact that Nick Fury and Dum-Dum appeared in one panel.

But I digress. After reading the comic, it was back to the war. This time, the Decepticons went right for the throat and attacked Kimball. Mounting a desperate defense, the Autobots managed to drive off the Decepticons. But at what cost? The Drill-Type Powerdasher was shot at point-blank by Starscream, and died on the operating table (Ratchet's repair bay, really), and his loss was mourned. Human civilian casualties were also at an unacceptable number. It was clear that the Decepticons were becoming anything BUT deceptive. The Autobots need reinforcements and they need them NOW. But how? And when?

* * *

**October 6, 1984**

While me and Katie were watching Saturday morning cartoons, a new episode of _Transformers_ came on. Called "Transport to Oblivion", it introduced us to the concept of the space bridge. Also introduced was a big city called Central City. The episode didn't have any nameless Decepticon jets, but it did have Shockwave, the one-eyed Decepticon from the first episode. WHO'S STILL NOT AVAILABLE AS A TOY! I bet Katie would get a kick out of having him in her army.

The war would have to wait as me and Katie made some phone calls. A half-hour later, Belle and the model-making club had come over to construct a model of Portland. It was fair outside today, so we didn't have to worry about rain.

It was a day-long project, and by the end of the day, it was only 30% finished. They'll be back tomorrow.

* * *

**October 13, 1984**

The fifth episode of the _Transformers_ aired today, called "Roll for It". Picking up where the last episode left off, a new human character named Chip Chase was introduced. This guy is cool, owning a computer way more advanced than any consumer model on the market right now. He's also in a wheelchair, but is a perfect example of "handi-capable".

As for the Portland set? Finished. Bumblebee and Hornet found out the Decepticons plan to carry out a genocidal act in the city, so I've sent my troops to defend against any and all Decepticon incursions.

This past week, the dam was attacked again, this time by Starscream and some jets. They were in and out before the Autobots could arrive, and left every worker dead. Oh, was Optimus hopping mad! He's sent Mirage to shadow any future Decepticon troop movements.

Next Saturday, another episode will air, and I can't wait.

* * *

**October 14, 1984**

What the hell was that?! I'll tell you what it was: Soundwave setting Rumble and Frenzy free in the Ark! Fortunately, Brawn handled them both with ease, but SERIOUSLY!

* * *

**October 20, 1984**

STOP TEASING US, HASBRO! In today's new episode of the cartoon, "Divide and Conquer", Shockwave appeared AGAIN! Jeez, just put the friggin' toy out already!

Anyway, today's episode was about Optimus Prime needing a vital component or he'll die. Three unnamed jets appeared, so it was straight to the paints. They were pretty open-and-shut, but I must question the garish-looking colors in them. Oh well, it's three more troops for Katie, and three more Decepticons for me to worry about.

* * *

**October 27, 1984**

I think the answer to the Autobots' woes is coming. In today's new episode "S.O.S. Dinobots", a new group of Autobots called the Dinobots was introduced. These guys are strong, but at the same time, idiotic assholes who are out of control. I can't wait for them to be released as toys.

* * *

**November 17, 1984**

Sorry I haven't been around, but I've been fighting the war and watching another three-parter of the cartoon called "The Ultimate Doom", in which the Decepticons find a human ally and bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit, causing a global cataclysm. It was thrilling, and quite well-animated.

But guess what? In the third part, three unnamed Decepticon jets appeared. I, of course, was obligated to paint three more in their colors. One of them had a nice pine-green color scheme. But this does mean Katie has THREE. MORE. TROOPS. Hasbro, please, if you could release the Dinobots already, that'd be great.

* * *

**December 29, 1984**

We're but two days from 1985, so let's review the year. Let 1984 be known as the year Transformers took the world by storm. The last episode of the first season of the cartoon aired today. I know I haven't written an entry in over a month, but that's because of the war and the show.

Things are going from bad to worse for the Autobots. Now, I'm dreading the day the 1985 assortment gets released, because it means more troops for Katie. But, then again, I also look forward to the release, because it means I get new troops as well. In the latter half of the first season, new characters started cropping up besides Shockwave and the Dinobots, who I'm pretty sure are first up to be released in the 1985 line. I'm only getting one more Autobot for sure (1985 will likely bring quite a few new Autobots), and his name is Skyfire. I can't be too sure, but he looks less like a Diaclone/Microman toy, and more like a Macross toy.

Katie's getting new troops, too, and I'm dreading it, because her new for-sure Decepticons are a nasty bunch. First, there's the Insecticons (Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Kickback), who eat everything in sight. Basically, giant robotic pests. But the ones I'm dreading the most are the Constructicons (Scrapper, Bonecrusher, Scavenger, Mixmaster, Hook, and Long Haul), who combine into a single, giant Decepticon named Devestator. Good. God. What am I going to do?! I don't have a…a…combiner! I need a miracle and I need it now! The Autobots can't hold out much longer! We've had to turn more and more to guerilla tactics! WE'RE DESPERATE! HASBRO! RELEASE THE DINOBOTS! PLEASE!


	3. Chapter 3

**I must give you fair warning: This is the LONGEST chapter I have ever written for any fanfiction.**

* * *

_The following entries take place between January 12, 1985, and January 9, 1986_

* * *

**January 12, 1985**

It was a rather normal day. Me and Katie were watching a _The Smurfs_, and eating Froot Loops. Good god, did we love Froot Loops. Then, a Transformers commercial came on. I was not prepared for what it was advertising:

_To help them in the never-ending battle against the Decepticons, the Autobots create a new breed of robots. Dinobots!_

I knew that if the commercial was on, that meant one thing: the Dinobots had been released! Yes! Katie, thy name is tide-turning!

So, after we finished breakfast, we got dressed and ran down to Johnson's. Sure enough, he had the Dinobots in stock, as well as Shockwave. "Well, Katie," I said, "Looks like we're both getting reinforcements today!"

I got all five Dinobots: Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Snarl, and Swoop, while Katie eagerly got Shockwave. Mr. Johnson said that Jetfire, the Insecticons, and the Constructicons would be coming in soon. Jetfire? Who's he? Did he mean to say Skyfire?

Well, I couldn't dwell on it forever. The war was still raging. The Dinobots exploded onto the scene, and immediately, Katie found two of her jets dead (she'll just re-use them as other troops, though). All the same, though, the Decepticons received Shockwave from Cybertron, as the situation was becoming too untenable.

Now Shockwave is a VERY cool toy. He not only transforms into a large pistol, but he also has lights and sounds and is incredibly articulated. He's a cool toy, but NOT a cool combatant! In the most recent battle, he killed the two remaining Powerdashers! And that's it! They're all dead! The only Autobot capable of flight and he's DEAD! Well, at least the Decepticons can't efficiently fight me on the roads! Oh, crap, I may have just jinxed it, if there are any new car Decepticons coming later in the year besides the Constructicons.

* * *

**January 28, 1985**

It's been two weeks since the Dinobots and Shockwave were brought into the conflict. All I can say is that the Dinobots have produced a major turnaround for the Autobots. Now, it's KATIE who's getting agitated with the current situation.

The tide soon turned back against us, though, when me and Katie got a call from Belle to come down to Johnson's. We soon found out why, as the rest of the initial 1985 line-up had arrived. There was only one new Autobot, Jetfire. I am baffled by this toy, because he's basically Skyfire! Jetfire? Who's he? It's SKYFIRE! Ah, no matter, because Jetfire is packed with quite a few accessories that make him a pretty cool toy.

The Constructicons and Insecticons were also released. But there was more. Four more Insecticons had been released. Their names are Barrage, Chop Shop, Venom, and Ransack. They were marketed as Deluxe Insecticons. WHAT?! WHO ARE THEY?! I NEVER SAW THEM IN THE CARTOON! The Constructicons and Insecticons are one thing, but DELUXE INSECTICONS?! Does Hasbro REALLY want to screw me over?!

If that wasn't bad enough, like I said, the tide's turned! Devastator's been handing me my ass, and they've built a space bridge to send energon back to Cybertron!

Now, the depiction of energon has changed in the cartoon. Now it's pink cubes. So, what we did was make cubes using pink construction paper. It's looks very nice, if you ask me.

Boy, I'm holding out for a miracle sometime soon, because losing the Powerdashers was one thing. I will NOT lose anyone else!

* * *

**February 6, 1985**

I should take this time to note that I've been posting accounts of every battle me and Katie fight on Usenet. Other users have stated they've been rather gripped by what we've been doing.

Anyway, I've set up a part of my room to serve as an "in memoriam" section, where Autobots killed in action go. Katie has a similar setup in her room. Thankfully, only the Powerdashers are here right now. Or not thankfully because the Jet-Type was the only member of my army who could fly. Then again, two other flyers took his place: Jetfire/Skyfire, and Swoop. They're both useful, especially Jetfire (you know what, I concede; if the toy is named Jetfire, then by god, that's his real name; I guess Skyfire is used in the cartoon for some legal reason or something).

But, no matter, because today, Jetfire carried out a daring air raid at the space bridge and destroyed the Decepticons' entire stock of energon before they could send it back to Cybertron. Boy, if you could see the look on Megatron's face!

* * *

**February 14, 1985**

Valentine's Day. The Day of Love. There was no war today as me and Belle went out on a hot date. I won't go into detail, mainly because it would be too graphic, but let's just say I became a man tonight.

What did happen today related to the war was this: when me and Belle were at Johnson's a few hours before dinner, Mr. Johnson gave me a package, He told me it was for me and Katie. I haven't actually opened it yet, so I'll open it now.

…Mr. Johnson truly is an industrial insider. It's a box filled with something called Mini-Spies. There's even a note saying that Hasbro's gonna start packaging these with the Mini-Cars very, very soon, and thanks to his connections, he snagged all 48 varieties for our wargame. Thank you so much, man!

I noticed the sigils on them were…black. I couldn't tell which faction they belonged to! I then saw on Mr. Johnson's note to rub the faction symbol. So I did, and lo and behold, a faction sigil showed up! It was an Autobot! Now THAT'S a cool gimmick!

Wait…48 spies…can be any faction…

I'm looking at an espionage thriller in the very-near future of the war.

* * *

**February 22, 1985**

The Mini-Spies have cropped up. All of the Mini-Cars have them now, one each. There's also a commercial promoting them. The commercial itself sells the concept nicely. A Decepticon Mini-Spy goes into the Ark, starts stealing information from Teletraan-1, and then Cliffjumper and Huffer run in. Huffer rubs the hood of the spy. "It's a Decepticon!" shouts Casey Kasem, and the Mini-Spy drives off.

I already had all 48 Mini-Spies, but even if I didn't, I wasn't going to be buying duplicates of the Mini-Cars I already have, which is all of them. Besides, there was nothing new besides the Mini-Spies. I'm waiting patiently on the main 1985 assortment.

* * *

**March 10, 1985**

It just came to my attention that there's a Transformers Power Cycle. Oh, a glorified Big Wheel. Whoop-de-freakin'-do. And this has been out HOW many months?!

Anyway, my prediction about this war becoming an espionage thriller is turning out to be true. The Autobots and Decepticons just can't keep anymore secrets. It's all out in the open! The world governments are also growing suspicious of both sides AND each other! I know what the 'Cons are doing. They're trying to cause World War III. Uh, hello, Megatron? That already happened. You're a few years too late. The current international political situation is very stable now that the malcontents have been eliminated.

But, whatever way you look at it, I think this espionage war is going to go on for some time, in addition to the normal frontline fighting.

* * *

**March 26, 1985**

The espionage war has calmed down for now, since me and Katie now know which side each spy belongs to. We also noticed these spies have pullback motors. Not really useful on the rugged terrain the war occurs on, but did find some great use on Cybertron.

The Mini-Spies have now joined the frontline forces. I haven't taken a headcount yet, but I think we're pretty even now. I'll take count tomorrow.

* * *

**March 27, 1985**

Yup, we're even. 24 Autobots, 24 Decepticons. This does mean, though, that the Decepticon has cars now. So now, we've got fight them on the road! Sure am missing that F-1 Type Powerdasher right about now.

I'm getting concerned, all the same. They're really trying to secure the container port. I don't know why, though, but I think they want a beach head that will allow them to bring in more raw materials for another space bridge, because I think they're planning to expand to other parts of the globe.

For this expansion, me, Katie, Belle, and the model-making club have started plotting out expansion on another part of the estate (it's a very big estate, mind you). We're planning to build sets for New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, and a crapload of industry waiting to be plundered/defended.

But if the Decepticons plan to hijack ships…good god, I hope a seaworthy Autobot is introduced this year.

* * *

**April 1, 1985**

The war…is lost. All of the Autobots have been slain, Optimus Prime lies dead at the feet of Megatron. The world is now in Decepticon hands, and in a matter of days, everything will be gone.

It was a great run, but all good things must come to an end.

PS: April Fools

* * *

**April 2, 1985**

OK, now for something that actually happened. Yesterday, my fears were confirmed: the Decepticons do want the container port to serve as the beach head so they can bring in raw materials to build another space bridge. They also plan to build energon refineries.

So, that's why Optimus Prime is planning a new assault on the container port. He's bringing all of his best warriors with him to attack the Decepticons, and this time, no mercy!

* * *

**April 3, 1985**

Katie has finally added to her KIA display. In this case, all four Deluxe Insecticons. They were all killed in today's battle at the container port. If you could have been there, you'd know how intense it was.

The main factor in the battle was weaponry, not numbers. The Decepticons were, as always, using superior weapons, and even had a few heavy weapons such as chain guns and missile launchers. On the other hand, though, the Dinobots were present.

So, the battle went from noon to six, and both sides were entrenched most of the time. It was only the arrival of the Dinobots that broke the stalemate. They were also instrumental in bringing down Devastator. With the main obstacles out of the way, the slaughter commenced.

Once on the quayside, Megatron ordered the Insecticons to hold the Autobots off. It wasn't enough, and the larger Insecticons (Barrage, Chop Shop, Ransack, and Venom) were overwhelmed and gunned down by Ironhide and Jazz. Megatron, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep up the defense, ordered the Decepticons to start pulling back while he made one last move. This move turned out to be turning his fusion cannon on the container ships and opening fire. The ships were loaded with volatiles, and detonated, also destroying much of the dockyard. The Autobots had won, but at great cost. Many human lives had perished in the explosion, and the whole dockyard was unusable.

It would take a miracle to reconstruct the dockyard. Otherwise, it would be abandoned, and the local economy would suffer as a result.

But, it wasn't all bad. The Decepticons' plot to build a second space bridge and energon refineries were thwarted and the Deluxe Insecticons were all dead. Now, all we have to deal with are the regular $6 Insecticons (seriously, the regular Insecticons are in the $6 range).

If you're wondering, yes, we actually did detonate the container port. We know a guy who does pyrotechnics and got it all on videotape (the whole battle was actually videotaped, with me doing all the voices, in fact, from now on, we're videotaping all of our battles).

* * *

**April 12, 1985**

The Autobots have done their best at the container port, but nine days after the battle, they're not having much luck. The main problem is that the Autobots have no answer to the Constructicons. Several Autobots are cut out for the heavy-lifting, sure, and Huffer has been invaluable in coordinating the rescue and salvage operations, but the thing is, we just don't have the botpower! Now if we had a crane, it'd be different.

Oh, Hasbro, please hear my prayer.

* * *

**April 25, 1985**

Me and Katie were planning out how a battle in San Francisco might progress when Belle called us and told us to go to Johnson's, because Mr. Johnson had just gotten something we needed to see.

When we got there, Belle led us to the Transformers section of the store and covered our eyes.

"OK, you can look now!" she said.

And so we did. And we gasped.

It was finally here. The main 1985 assortment. Immediately, I went to the Autobot half, and Katie went to the Decepticon half.

My half had a crapload of brand-new Autobots:

The Autobot Mini-Vehicles (they had been renamed) have a bunch of new additions, including a buggy named Beachcomber, an A-10 named Powerglide, a tank named Warpath, a flying saucer named Cosmos, and a hovercraft named Seaspray. They are all perfect, and fill vital roles I need, such as water and space transportation. I especially have use for Warpath and Powerglide, as both are modeled after military vehicles.

The Autobot Cars are the biggest group of the bunch. There is a flying car named Tracks, a police car named Red Alert, a stock car named Smokescreen, a hatchback named Skids, a tow truck named Hoist, a fire truck named Inferno, and a crane named Grapple. PERFECT! I NEEDED A CRANE FOR THE SALVAGE OPERATION IN THE CONTAINER PORT! A flying car? AWESOME! A tow truck and fire truck are also just what we need, and another police car will really go a long way to filling gaps in patrols.

It didn't stop there, oh no. There were still quite a few new Autobots. Next up are the Jumpstarters, Topspin and Twin Twist. Their gimmick is that you pull them back and they jump up to go from vehicle to robot. Not really practical on the rough surfaces the battles take place on, but probably very useful on Cybertron.

Now come the Deluxe Vehicles, Roadbuster and Whirl. Roadbuster is a futuristic jeep, while Whirl is a helicopter. Both will be perfect for frontline engagements.

Perceptor. Who's he? A working microscope!

And now we have an answer to Soundwave in the form of a new Autobot named Blaster! Ooh, I am loving all this!

Last but not least comes…oh dear…oh my…this thing is HUGE! Omega Supreme is his name, and he's a rocket base! Not just a rocket base, but a MOTORIZED ROCKET BASE! This is one cool toy! He was the first I pulled out of the box, and needless to say, this is one big toy. I set him all up, and compared him side-by-side with Devastator, and I must say, Omega is of equal-size. Ladies and gentlemen, Devastator has just met his match!

But guess what? Katie got new troops, too. She didn't have as many new additions as I did, but what additions she does have makes me nervous. Hasbro has devised a new gimmick called the Triple-Changer. Basically, robots with two vehicle modes. Their names are Astrotrain (transforms into a steam locomotive and space shuttle) and Blitzwing (transforms into a jet and a tank). It'll be interesting to see where this goes.

The only other new Decepticons are three new jets named Ramjet, Thrust, and Dirge. Nothing really special about them, just run-of-the-mill jets.

All of the other 1985 assortment toys were the ones we already had, and the 1984 assortment remains in stock, but now they have the same heat-sensitive rubsigns as the Mini-Spies. Mr. Johnson told me Hasbro is putting them on all of the Transformers toys now because the market is being flooded by knock-offs. He also assured me that all of the toys he had were the genuine articles.

The pack-in flyer was advertising an organization called S.T.A.R.S. (Secret Transformers Autobot Rescue Squad), which I wasted no time in joining. I also noticed the flyer had the audacity to try pushing G.I. Joe toys on me. I sent my form to S.T.A.R.S., who will send me a command center playset, an iron-on patch (gotta get a baseball cap), a membership card, and a Tech-Spec Manual. Katie, your days of sneak attacks are numbered!

As for the new toys, I'll have to take a headcount and give updated number figures.

* * *

**April 26, 1985**

Things are swinging back in our favor. Today, news came from Cybertron that because of Shockwave's absence, things on Cybertron had degenerated into a free-for-all. Autobots and Decepticons were no longer discerning friend or foe, and the conflict was now amongst self-styled warlords. The descriptions of conflict sounded like _The Road Warrior_ with robots.

Refugees have come from Cybertron, as a result. The Autobot ranks have received a major infusion of reinforcements, and boy, did we need them.

Grapple, Inferno, Hoist, and Red Alert were assigned to the container port operation, Cosmos was sent into Earth orbit to serve as a spy satellite of sorts, Seaspray went on patrol in the waters around the port (the toy can't float, so we just say he is and I keep in on my desk when he is), and everyone else went to the frontlines.

The first engagement (which dealt a massive blow to the Decepticons; read on) took place at the construction site of an energon refinery, as the Decepticons had managed to get enough materials to build one. If the Decepticons were to power up the refinery, there would be global blackouts, allowing the Decepticons to swoop in, topple the world's governments, and conquer Earth, while also allowing them to re-energize Cybertron and spread throughout the universe. The Autobots wouldn't have this, so Optimus took almost every Autobot with him so they could destroy it.

A mile away from the refinery construction site (the refinery, by the way, is a LEGO model we made ourselves), Optimus ordered Mirage to carry out recon of the site. A few minutes later, Mirage came back with the figures: Megatron was there, as were the Constructicons, all of the jets, the three remaining Insecticons, Soundwave, all of Soundwave's cassettes, and Reflector. But he had…troubling news. There were a few new Decepticons among their ranks. There were three more jets, and a pair of Triple-Changers, Astrotrain and Blitzwing.

It was at this point I briefly stopped the scenario when I noticed the way Katie had transformed Ramjet, Dirge, and Thrust. Their nosecones were not fully transformed, and were jutting up from their heads. When I asked Katie, she said she did so for identification purposes. I didn't argue, so it was back to the scenario.

Optimus Prime was troubled by the news of the arrival of the Triple-Changers. Escalation was imminent, and now the Decepticons had pulled out the big guns. But so had the Autobots.

Prowl, the resident strategist, devised a multi-wave attack plan so as to sow confusion. Whirl, Roadbuster, Warpath, and all five Dinobots were assigned to the first wave, since they were the heavy-hitters. Mirage's report had outlined a turret defense grid surrounding the refinery, so the first wave's job would be to smash through these defenses and kill any Decepticons who got in the way.

The second wave consisted of Powerglide, Jetfire, Windcharger, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Bluestreak, Tracks, Smokescreen, and the Omnibots. They were the fast-attack wave, serving a more tactical purpose to directly engage the Decepticons.

The third and final wave had Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Brawn, and Omega Supreme, who would deliver the final surgical strike against the Decepticon command structure, most importantly Megatron. Omega's goal was different: he was to destroy the refinery and engage Devastator.

Every other Autobot was assigned to the mop-up operation, though were instructed to charge if the plan went awry.

All three waves were lined up in order, ready to go. The first wave was all in vehicle mode, with the second wave primed to go. On Optimus Prime's orders, the first wave charged at the refinery. The guards (all nameless jets) spotted the charging Autobots, but could not react in time to man the turrets. Grimlock collided with the wall with a SMASH! And tore it down! The jets raced to the turrets or started firing with their weapons, but were gunned down by Whirl and Roadbuster. Then, Warpath fired on a conduit that happened to power the whole turret matrix, breaking their defenses.

Megatron noticed what was going on, and ordered all Decepticons to attack the Autobot invaders. This was the cue for the second wave (who had been refueled using the fuel pump on the Combat Deck) to charge. The Decepticons struck back, but were overwhelmed by the blitzkrieg. Several nameless jets tried to charge the Autobot staging area, but were shot down by Powerglide. Jetfire, meanwhile, began to bomb Decepticon ranks, breaking their formations and sending them running.

Most of the nameless jets now lay dead, but the Constructicons had combined to form Devastator. This was the final wave's cue to mobilize. Optimus, Ironhide, and Brawn sped in, and transformed right into Soundwave's face.

Megatron stepped forward, pointing his Fusion Cannon right at Optimus. The Autobot Commander sent Ironhide and Brawn to join the offensive with the other two waves.

Megatron complimented Optimus' staggered attack strategy, but then gave the whole "it ends now" speech. Optimus wasn't going to have it this time, and simply shot Megatron with his blaster. At point-blank range.

As this was going on, Devastator was advancing on the Autobots (whom were still skirmishing with the Decepticon jets and Insecticons), but Omega Supreme stepped forth. Staring up at the massive Autobot, Devastator gazed upon the giant…and turned tail. Starscream angrily ordered Devastator to stand and fight, but Devastator split up and the Constructicons routed.

Megatron, meanwhile, wasn't doing so well. Optimus blasted him at point-blank range several more times before he fell to the ground. This caused every Autobot and Decepticon to stop fighting, as all optics turned to the Decepticon Leader. Taking one last look at his nemesis, Megatron's came to a grim realization: he was dying. No doubt about it. He had failed all because his gloating gave Optimus an opening to shoot him. Why had he been so foolish as to think Optimus would just stop and listen to him? Because he was stupid. He had often told himself he had no weaknesses, but the truth of the matter was he did: his own pride and overconfidence. And it had led to his downfall. The last thing he saw was Starscream walking over, kneeling down, and giving a strained "no", before everything went black.

Starscream looked at his leader in horror. The Decepticons all gathered around as Soundwave shoved Optimus to the ground to get him out of his way. Starscream tried to get Megatron to respond, even trying desperately to jump-start his systems, but it was no use.

The Mighty Megatron was dead.

The Decepticons all knew what this meant. Starscream was next in the chain of command, followed by Soundwave, then Shockwave, then Scrapper, then Astrotrain, then Blitzwing, and then it was free game from there. In other words: Starscream was the new leader of the Decepticons.

Starscream's ambitions for leadership were never really serious, for he always thought himself a humble soldier. But now, he was having the weight of leadership thrust upon him.

His first instinct: kill. Kill as many stinkin' Autobots as he could! He went ballistic, firing indiscriminately into the crowd of Autobots! Starscream, though, was smart. He wasn't going to wait for the Autobots to counter, so he ordered a full retreat. Gathering up the sad remains of Megatron and the slain jets, the Decepticons returned to their base (Katie's room) to mourn their loss.

The Autobots stood in silence for a minute or two before Bumper collapsed. Starscream had hit him square in the chest in his anger. Propping him up in Ratchet's repair bay, Ratchet did his best, but ultimately, he was forced to put Bumper into safe mode (in human terms, a medically-induced coma). Full repairs would have to wait until they returned to the Ark. The important thing was, though, that Bumper would live. With this knowledge, the Autobots erupted into cheers. Megatron was dead, and the Decepticons had been dealt a massive blow.

Mop-up began, as the last stragglers who couldn't take off were taken prisoner. There were two jets taken prisoner (the yellow-orange and eye-burning bright green ones). Not wanting to waste perfectly-good troops, Wheeljack reprogrammed the two, thus making them bonafide Autobots. The yellow-orange jet was named Sunstorm (because of his colors), and the eye-burning bright green jet was named Acid Storm (because he had made acid rain on Cybertron in "Divide and Conquer"). I set to work giving them Autobot sigils from a photocopier, thus making them true Autobots. Omega, meanwhile, tore down the refinery.

Today just wasn't a good day for the Decepticons. Not only had two of them been captured and reprogrammed as Autobots, but worst of all, Megatron was dead. The look on Katie's face as she put Megatron in the KIA display in her room tugged at my heartstrings, so of course I felt obligated to apologize and give her a hug.

* * *

**May 1, 1985**

The Decepticons have been quiet for the past few days. I don't blame them, after what happened. To have your godlike leader be slain and then have two of your comrades be "re-educated" is just too much to take in.

Mirage has been spying these past few days. The Decepticons weren't scheming, but rather mourning. He sent back video of the funeral held for Megatron, especially the eulogy given by Starscream. It was at this moment the Autobots realized that maybe the Decepticons weren't heartless. They had feelings, too, and it showed in Starscream's emotional eulogy. This didn't excuse their actions, though. But Optimus was fair, so he wasn't going to send Omega Supreme to destroy every Decepticon in one fell swoop while they were vulnerable.

Mirage caught the most important part of the eulogy: the part where Starscream rallied the Decepticons to turn their sorrow into rage, and avenge Megatron by destroying the Autobots once and for all. Everyone at the Ark knew what this meant: the Decepticons would be even more aggressive now. There was even a chance they would just give up any pretense of being deceptive.

Escalation is imminent. Megatron's death has reminded both me and Katie that NOBODY. IS. SAFE.

I'm glad I discovered this wonderful franchise. Me and Katie have never been this engrossed in a wargame before. If I ever publish this diary, I'd like to say thank you to Hasbro for making this toyline, Takara for creating the initial molds, Marvel, for having that commercial put out, Mr. Johnson, for carrying the toys and being our industrial connection, Belle, for being supportive from zero hour and being an enthusiastic spectator, the model-making club, for helping us to create most of the magnificent sets we use, Usenet, for allowing me and Katie to post about our wargame and share it with the world, and most of all, Katie, for being the greatest sister ever in fighting this war.

* * *

**May 27, 1985**

I knew it would happen today. I just knew it. Memorial Day was just the perfect day for it to happen. What happened, you may ask? The Decepticons returned and attacked the Memorial Day carnival in Portland. They stole all of the generators used for the various unsafe rides, rigged games, and deep-fried food stands, stole all of the fireworks to use their gunpowder for energon, and killed everyone. The attack happened so suddenly that the Autobots had no time to respond. Optimus was furious, and so was I! Fortunately, the S.T.A.R.S. stuff arrived in the mail last Friday, so I could start monitoring for Decepticon activity.

Right after it arrived, I set to work setting up the Command Center playset in my room. Clearing off the desk (which entailed putting the Battle Convoy Diaclone toy in my night stand drawer), I set it up with little fuss. But I thought was lacking a bit, so I cobbled together a repair bay and a control console with LEGOs (as you can tell, we have a lot of LEGOs).

* * *

**June 3, 1985**

JUNE 3, 1985. A DAY THAT WILL FOREVER LIVE IN INFAMY. TODAY, THE PORT OF PORTLAND WAS SUDDENLY AND DELIBERATELY ATTACKED BY GROUND AND AIR FORCES OF THE DECEPTICONS.

Waves of Decepticons jets swept through the Port of Portland today, bringing death and destruction in their wake. Those who survived the initial assault attempted to escape, but their route was cut off by Astrotrain and Blitzwing, who gunned down the unarmed workers. The attack didn't stop there, as the attack entailed the sinking of many ships, the destruction of dockside cranes and structures, and culminating in the destruction of the Steel Bridge (the double-decker drawbridge over the Willamette River).

After the initial attack, the Constructicons set to work. Their goal soon became clear: an energon refinery. American military forces attempted to retake the port, but found themselves outmatched by the superior technology of the extraterrestrial Decepticons, and were eradicated. Nameless jets stood guard as the Constructicons began processing the debris of the attack into materials they could use for construction.

Things were going well for the Decepticons until Powerglide swooped and carried out a surgical strike on the pile of debris being processed. Then, Jetfire carpet-bombed the foundations of the refinery, ruining it. Starscream ordered the Constructicons to merge, and Devastator was brought into the conflict. But Omega Supreme was on the scene. This time, Devastator stood his ground, but faced with Omega's superior firepower, he lost the battle. All the same, though, Omega withdrew, having defeated Devastator, and awaited further orders.

Meanwhile, a staging area had been set up near the port. Optimus Prime coordinated the attack while using the Combat Deck to refuel the Autobots before they headed off into battle. Autobots would leave the staging area, make their attack runs, and then return, rinse and repeat. The hit-and-run tactics worked well in wearing down the Decepticon defense.

It was nighttime when the Decepticon defense was broken. We had set up work lights to aid in the battle. The Autobot offensive continued through the night…

* * *

**June 4, 1985**

…And into the wee hours of the morning. Me and Katie, by this point, were keeping ourselves awake with coffee. The battle had devolved into a war of attrition, but we were bound to see the battle through to its conclusion.

At approx. 3:00 AM, the Autobots finally broke the Decepticons' defenses, and Starscream ordered the jets to take to the skies in hopes of getting air superiority. It wasn't enough, as Powerglide shot down several jets, and the Dinobots raised hell, throwing the Constructicons and Mini-Cassettes around like ragdolls.

Optimus Prime moved the battle line and began using the Combat Deck's turret to provide suppressive fire. The fuel pump also continued refueling the Autobots, and Omega Supreme had transformed into defense base mode, providing long-range artillery support.

The battle looked like it was going to turn into a stalemate again, when Seaspray emerged from the Willamette River and fired on the Decepticons in a surprise flank attack. Surrounded on all sides, Starscream knew that the only option now was retreat.

Full Decepticon withdrawal began at this point, as the Autobots cheered.

At this point, me and Katie took all the toys indoors and went to bed. We slept in until noon, unsurprisingly.

* * *

**June 5, 1985**

In the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Portland, Grapple, Hoist, Inferno, and Red Alert were called in, their job at the container port long finished. The damaged to the port was catastrophic: every ship had been sunk or blasted out, the Steel Bridge had been destroyed, the cranes were either demolished or at the bottom of the river when a section of the quay collapsed owing to uncontrolled fires, and there wasn't a building left standing. The only things rising above the rubble were the Autobots.

Grapple set to work salvaging debris from the river to allow salvage ships to enter the port. A few fires were still burning, so Inferno put them out and then started checking for hot spots. The press was all over the area, leading Prowl and Red Alert to shoo them away as the National Guard and local emergency services moved in to assist. Omega Supreme had left with non-essential Autobots to return to the Ark on guard duty.

Ratchet worked in tandem with the local paramedics to set up a triage and morgue for the expected injuries and fatalities. Within minutes, the injured and deceased began streaming in. They ranged from dockworkers and sailors to motorists and passengers on a passing Amtrak train when the Steel Bridge collapsed. There was slight damage to the nearby Fremont Bridge, as well as collateral damage to the city itself, mostly from Decepticon blaster fire. For the most part, though, the Autobots had done a good job in containing the battle.

The grim task of hauling away the deceased fell to Optimus Prime, who was the only Autobot with a trailer. As a result, he had to set Roller out to make room. It wasn't a very pleasant task for Optimus, since he had to drive to a hospital to deliver the bodies to a morgue, but he had to be strong for his troops and the families of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the city of Portland basically went into lockdown. Ironhide, Warpath, Prowl, Bluestreak, Jazz, Brawn, Camshaft, Downshift, and Overdrive were patrolling the streets to enforce the lockdown. No civilians were to be outdoors AT ALL except for emergency situations.

It was going to be a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG and really BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB.

* * *

**June 8, 1985**

The Autobots have been torn as of lately. As in, we've been torn between the recovery operations in the Port of Portland, and fighting the Decepticons. Life has returned to normal in Portland, with the lockdown lifted, so the Autobots who had been patrolling the streets could join the offensive against the Decepticons.

What are the Decepticons doing, exactly? Attacking power plants between Portland and San Francisco. Because of how close they're getting to San Francisco, there are rumblings among the Autobots and media that they are expanding their operations. Already, three outposts have been uncovered in the area around Mt. Shasta.

Sunstorm and Acid Storm have settled in nicely to the Autobot ranks. Wheeljack did a pretty thorough job reprogramming them, and now, they feel nothing but shame over being Decepticons, and hope to atone for their actions by fighting the Decepticons. They have been invaluable to the espionage effort, as they can quickly cover their sigils with the Decepticon emblem and blend into crowds of Decepticons without attracting suspicion. The fact that there are so many jets mean they are never missed and no suspicion is raised amongst the Decepticons.

All the same, though, the Decepticons have stepped up their espionage efforts. More and more, the Mini-Cassettes are being used. Laserbeak, Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy, Buzzsaw, they're all being actively used to infiltrate Autobot forward positions. And the worst part? We have no answer. Blaster can store tapes, sure, but there's no Autobot Mini-Cassettes. Maybe in the 1986 assortment, but 1986 is still a long way off.

Blaster still serves a good purpose, though: as Autobot Communicator, he can spy on Decepticon communications and be able not to be traced. His other major purpose was to monitor radio traffic from Cybertron, to see if any Cybertronians still faithful to the Autobot cause were trying to make contact with Optimus Prime, because as we all know, it's like _The Road Warrior_ on Cybertron right now.

But, despite all the low-level espionage, the war rages on.

* * *

**June 13, 1985**

The Decepticons are starting to get too bold. Now the Insecticons are eating crops in the San Joaquin Valley in California. We've sent Whirl and Roadbuster to take care of them, but things are a bit too hectic as it is. A trench war has developed in the area around Mt. Shasta, but fortunately, the Decepticons are being worn down, slowly but surely. It's clear that Starscream's strategy is different from Megatron's. Whereas Megatron focused on single targets, Starscream is expanding Decepticon operations, slowly but surely. Eventually, it'll come to them going global, and if or when they do, we'll need to be prepared BIG TIME.

I've given consideration to buying additional Warpath toys and repainting them to represent generic Autobot tanks, just to put us on level with the Decepticons. Besides that, the bulk of our forces remain the Mini-Spies, who I've taken to calling the Mini-Troopers, since they're used more for combat operations these days than espionage; that job is better suited for Mirage, Blaster, Sunstorm, and Acid Storm.

You're probably wondering about the Port of Portland. We've done all we could to salvage the port. Grapple drew up architectural plans for new buildings, but Optimus wouldn't go for it, citing wartime energy conservation. Besides, the operations were now in the hands of the Southern Pacific and a tugboat fleet, who was being paid a fortune to haul away the debris.

Everyone on the recovery operation is now being shifted to the frontline.

* * *

**June 18, 1985**

This is just a quick entry to check in on the war. In short, things are a stalemate at the moment. That is all.

* * *

**July 6, 1985**

I know I haven't made an entry in half a month, but bear with me. The war has been intensifying, going from stalemate to a total war.

Anyway, Suki called today. She told me that _Diaclone_ had disappeared, and Takara had elected to import Transformers. The first episode of the TV series aired in Japan, where the show is called _Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers_. She had been following my posts on Usenet, and also told me about the name changes in the Japanese import:

Bumblebee was named Bumble, Cliffjumper was Cliff, Brawn was Gong, Windcharger was Charger, Huffer was Drag, Cosmos was Adams, Bluestreak was Streak, Jazz was Meister, Sideswipe was Lambor, Mirage was Ligier, Red Alert was Alert, Blaster was Broadcast, Optimus Prime was Convoy, Laserbeak was Condor, Ravage was Jaguar, Hook was Gren, Devastator was Devastor, and Shockwave was Laserwave. Everyone else had the same names as here in the States. Suki noted, though, that a few characters had not been released. They were Gears, Ironhide, Jetfire, Omega Supreme, Roadbuster, Whirl, Venom, Ransack, Chop Shop, and Barrage.

Suki then said she had videotaped the episode, and would send it over alongside Reflector. She also said she would send me and Katie any Japanese-exclusive Transformers toys, and may even start her own little wargame with her sister. If she does, I'll send her the toys not released in Japan.

Over the July 4 weekend, both the Autobots and Decepticons experienced full mobilization. Espionage efforts have revealed that Starscream plans an all-out attack on San Francisco. As a result, evacuations of San Francisco have begun as the Autobots are mounting a desperate defense around Mendocino County to prevent the Decepticons from getting to San Francisco.

* * *

**July 9, 1985**

Me and Katie turn 20 today, but thanks to the immortality procedure, we haven't aged a day. Even on our birthday, though, the war goes on. Omega Supreme arrived at the battle line to start pushing back the Decepticons, but Devastator has been serving as a distraction. Good god, if this continues any longer, I'll have to break out the heavy guns, namely buying those extra Warpath toys to repaint as generic Autobot tanks, just to provide a little more firepower.

There is good news, though. Bumper awoke from his coma today. After a few more days being checked over by Ratchet and Hoist, he'll be good to go.

* * *

**July 20, 1985**

After an eleven day trench war, the Decepticons have broken the line, forcing the Autobots to back up. We're now dangerously close to a populated area (Santa Rosa), and if they get into town, bad things will happen.

Aside from that, the package Suki sent arrived yesterday. In it was a video tape with the first episode of _Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers_ and a Reflector toy. The old Reflector which me and Katie had remade from an MC-05 Camera Robo Microx was put out to pasture (as in, Katie put all three components on display on a shelf above her desk), and the new Reflector has been pressed into service. In return, I bought duplicates of the Transformers they don't have in Japan (Gears, Ironhide, Jetfire, Omega Supreme, Roadbuster, Whirl, Venom, Ransack, Chop Shop, and Barrage), put them in a big cardboard box (so as to accommodate the big Omega Supreme box), and mailed them off to Japan with VHS copies of the first three episodes of our version of the cartoon.

Speaking of the cartoon, I wonder when the second season will begin…

* * *

**July 27, 1985**

Gah! No! You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to Hell!

The Decepticons have broken our defense and destroyed Santa Rosa! It's gone! It's all gone! Everything's destroyed and everyone's dead! So what did we do? WE LAUNCHED A CRUSHING TANK ASSAULT! Yes, I finally bought those extra Warpath toys and repainted them. I bought about six and repainted them in different colors. One is blue, one is green, one is yellow, one is orange, one is white, and one is black. I even assigned each one a name: the blue one is Bradley, the green is Panzer, the yellow one is Treads, the orange one is Gunner, the white one is Mortar, and the black one is Abrams. Together, with Warpath, they are the Tank Squad!

Their first deployment was against the Decepticons in the ruins of Santa Rosa. They weren't prepared, and many of the nameless jets were killed before Starscream ordered a full retreat.

The Tank Squad was a rousing success, and now I'm thinking about expanding the concept to an air force by repainting Powerglide toys.

* * *

**August 1, 1985**

The Autobot Air Force was formed today. It follows a similar concept as the Tank Squad, as in, taking multiples of one Autobot Mini-Vehicle and then repainting them to represent different characters. All of the Air Force members are repaints of Powerglide following the same color scheme as the Tank Squad, and as with the Tank Squad members, I've assigned them names: the blue one is Canard, the green one is Barrel Roll, the yellow one is Aileron, the orange one is Eagle, the white one is Ace, and the black one is Warthog.

Their first deployment went off without a hitch. The Decepticons were too shocked to fight back, and we managed to destroy an energon refinery that was under construction. Now that we've met the Decepticons in the air, I expect an escalation in the air war.

* * *

**August 3, 1985**

So far, S.T.A.R.S. has been doing its job. The amount of Decepticon surprise attacks have plummeted overnight. Their ability to be stealthy is being denied, what with Blaster monitoring their communications, Mirage shadowing their movements, and Sunstorm and Acid Storm infiltrating their bases. I'll bet Starscream is getting angrier and angrier by the day.

* * *

**August 17, 1985**

Been a few weeks, I know, but the air war, as predicted on the first, has escalated. The Autobot Air Force is running head-on into the Decepticon jets…

Actually, I've been reading some catalogs lately, mainly department store catalogs for the 1984 holiday season. They consistently refer to the Decepticon jets as Seekers. So from now on, that's who they are to me and Katie.

So as I was saying before I stopped to explain, the Autobot Air Force has been running head-on into the Decepticon Seekers over the Cascade Mountains. They've done so with no casualties. After today's battle, Ace has certainly lived up to his name, after he shot down seven Seekers (again, Katie will just re-use them because they're basically Redshirts). Optimus Prime is really glad he OK'd the Tank Squad and Air Force, as they have managed to stop the Decepticons' advance on San Francisco.

* * *

**August 28, 1985**

The Decepticons, having failed to make it to San Francisco thanks to the Tank Squad and Air Force, have instead turned north to go to Seattle instead and spread out across Canada due to the rich sources of timber. The Air Force was dispatched to intercept them just before they hit the Oregon-Washington state line, which they succeeded in doing, forcing the Decepticons into retreat. We've basically boxed in the Decepticons, and they're getting desperate for energy. So desperate, in fact, that they've taken to raiding gas stations one at a time. This is a…rather unusual strategy, but they're so in-and-out about it, that there's no time to respond, even if an alert is sent out by S.T.A.R.S. Analysis by Sunstorm and Acid Storm has revealed they are slowly but surely converting the gasoline to energon, and plan to build another Space Bridge.

We must stop this plan, but not for the obvious reason of stopping them from powering a full-scale assault on Iacon. Rather, they don't know the situation on Cybertron. If that energon gets to Cybertron, it'll REALLY look like _The Road Warrior_!

* * *

**September 4, 1985**

A Memorial Day picnic was the perfect opportunity for me and Katie to showcase what we've been doing. Needless to say, our family, friends, and even a few fans who have been following us on Usenet are extremely impressed. Our wargame's actually growing in fame. It got a shout-out in the most recent Marvel comic (by the way, yes, me and Katie still read it), and also gets talked about by the cartoon staff.

There was no war over the weekend because of this, as well as me and Katie watching a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race, the Southern 500 in Darlington. We just wanted to see what all the hoopla was about with NASCAR, and actually found it pretty entertaining. Bill Elliott won the race. Nice guy, drives the #9 Ford Thunderbird.

Anyway, the war resumed yesterday on Tuesday, and involved an attack on the space bridge construction site. Optimus Prime kept telling Starscream it was for the good of Cybertron, but he wouldn't listen, thinking the Autobots were lying. We succeeded in destroying the space bridge, but the Decepticons have something else we have to deal with: another energon refinery.

That was today's attack, as the Autobots assaulted the energon refinery. The bulk of the fighting was between the Seekers and Tank Squad, with the latter ultimately prevailing.

* * *

**September 23, 1985**

The weekday cartoon block was on the local CBS affiliate, and _He-Man and the Masters of the Universe _had just ended. Me and Katie were expecting a rerun of Transformers to come on.

We got more than we bargained for.

It was the Transformers theme, but it sounded like a new arrangement. It started with the Autobot and Decepticon sigils flying from behind Saturn, past Cybertron, and all the way to Earth, with a volcano shooting up. The show logo then came into view, being stopped by what appeared to be jagged teeth. Then the Dinobots appeared (Grimlock had Thrust in his mouth), transformed, and started shooting at Blitzwing, who fired back, and transformed into a tank, firing at Omega Supreme, who transformed and crushed Blitzwing, who was taken away by Bonecrusher. Then, he fired his cannon at Astrotrain, who transformed from robot to steam locomotive to space shuttle, and flew into the sky. Good call, too, because the tracks ended at a lava river where the Insecticons were swimming for some reason. The lava gave way to a grid, where Optimus Prime and a few Autobots (I was able to identify Grapple, Tracks, and Red Alert) were running at Megatron (who was with Ramjet and two Constructicons). The two leaders clashed and sunk into a wormhole, which exploded into the show's logo. It was ultra cool. On another note, I saw that Ramjet's nosecone was untransformed. My god, Katie accurately predicted that.

Despite having 1985 assortment characters in the title sequence, none of them appeared in the episode, titled "Autobot Spike". The episode was about Spike getting injured in the crossfire of a fight between the Autobots and Decepticons, and his mind being put into a robot body cobbled together with spare parts. But having a human mind inside a robot body was a recipe for disaster, as Spike developed psychosis and was swayed to Megatron's side. It was a pretty good episode, and I noticed there was a distinct lack of animation errors. The end credit sequence showed plenty of 1985 characters, including Inferno, Red Alert, Powerglide, Grapple, Hoist, Slag, Sludge, the Constructicons, Blitzwing, Smokescreen, Dirge, and Warpath.

I'd like to take this time by saying that the cartoon continuity has no effect on our wargame. Megatron is still alive in the cartoon, but not in the wargame.

* * *

**September 24, 1985**

OK, wow. I'm loving this! What am I talking about? They've changed the schedule for new episodes of the cartoon. Now, instead of being a Saturday morning cartoon, it's an every weekday cartoon! Score!

The second episode of season two was called "The Immobilzer", and introduced a new human character named Carly. I swear, this is Jesse's cartoon counterpart, even though they said Carly is an MIT student, and Spike isn't out of high school yet.

As for the war, the Autobots have continued battling the Decepticons on the ground and in the air, seeing as how they don't quite have a sea-capable robot. Just today, the Air Force conducted a surgical strike on yet another energon refinery. The amount of harassment we've been doling out on the Decepticons lately is making Starscream angry. Just what we needed, because an angry leader can't think straight.

* * *

**September 25, 1985**

The Decepticons are getting bold again. Today, they did the unthinkable and took control of multiple oil fields in Kern County, CA, including the Midway-Sunset and Fruitvale Oil Fields, both near Bakersfield. They also took control of Edwards Air Force Base and have started diverting the Kern River Pipeline to their new operation at Edwards. Hoo boy, this is gonna be interesting.

On the cartoon front, the third episode of season two was called "Dinobot Island, Part 1". Now THIS was a cornucopia of 1985 characters. Among the debuts were Powerglide, Tracks, Grapple, Blaster, Red Alert, Smokescreen, Inferno, Hoist, Ramjet, Blitzwing, and Thrust. Not seen were Skids, Perceptor, Omega Supreme, Roadbuster, Whirl, Dirge, Astrotrain, among others. Oh well, maybe next episode.

* * *

**September 26, 1985**

Not much going on in the war right now, mainly because the Autobots are pulling together resources for what the various officers are calling the Southern California Campaign.

Meanwhile, part two of "Desertion of the Dinobots" aired. We got a majority of the rest of the 1985 characters, including Perceptor, Beachcomber, Warpath, Seaspray, and Dirge. Still missing a few, but I think that's enough for one two-parter.

Chip Chase returned in this episode, and he's as awesome as ever.

* * *

**September 27, 1985**

Well, now it's Friday, and the Autobots are still pulling together resources for the Southern California Campaign. Judging by the scope of the Decepticon operations in this theatre, it may take some time to prepare the assault. Because military property is in the hands of the Decepticons, the American military will be supporting us for this campaign, mainly in the form of providing energy.

As for the cartoon, today's episode was called "Traitor", and it was about Cliffjumper accusing Mirage of defecting to the Decepticons. Not really any 1985 characters aside from the regular Insecticons (something tells me the Deluxe Insecticons might not appear at all).

* * *

**September 30, 1985**

The time it's taking to pull these resources together for the Southern California Campaign is taking longer than I thought. In the meantime, Mirage has managed to get into Decepticon-held territory. The reports are horrifying. Entire towns have been wiped off the map, and their populaces exterminate. The most horrifying part? Dead human bodies are being PROCESSED INTO ENERGON. GOOD. GOD. THIS HAS TO STOP! NOW! That is why a forward team has been dispatched to the outskirts of Decepticon territory. This team consists of Ironhide, Ratchet, Grapple, Hoist, Huffer, and Red Alert. They all have their jobs: Ironhide will use his turret as defense, Ratchet will set up his repair bay to be prepared for casualties, Grapple will build an outpost, Hoist will assist, Huffer will oversee the construction process, and Red Alert will be on security. Whirl will be popping in and out, airlifting in supplies using a cargo net.

On the cartoon front, today's episode was "Enter the Nightbird". I didn't like this episode for two reasons: one, the Starscream bashing, and two, the fact that Nightbird, let's face it, will likely never get a toy. Plus, something was up with the music, like it was a notch or two lower than usual, making it rather unemphatic.

* * *

**October 1, 1985**

Something tells me these episodes are being broadcast out of production order. I mean, last week, there were two straight episodes devoted to introducing the 1985 line-up, but today, it was an episode about Gears. This episode felt more like a first season episode because none of the 1985 assortment characters were in it. Not even the Dinobots.

Meanwhile, Omega Supreme returned from Cybertron with heavy weaponry and by god, it's worse over there than we thought. It's not _The Road Warrior_ over there, it's _The Road Warrior_ times ten. The warlords are in a massive war with each other, and they even told Omega Supreme that Optimus Prime and Megatron are dead to them, saying that if they ever return, they will die because law and order is archaic. Omega narrowly escaped with his life.

The bulk of the weaponry Omega brought back were cruise missiles, so the Autobots could bombard Decepticon positions and installations from afar. The United States military have also provided missiles in the form of the BGM-109 Tomahawk, which were pressed into service during the Third World War, and proved instrumental in softening up Moscow in the final days of the war.

* * *

**October 2, 1985**

"A Prime Problem" was the name of today's episode. In this one, the Decepticons create a clone of Optimus Prime to lure the Autobots to their doom at an unstable crystal formation that suddenly showed up on Earth.

There was something…off about this episode. It clearly wasn't animated by Toei, because the lighting throughout was desaturated. There was also a very obvious error: Optimus Prime referred to Spike as "Splick" when Laserbeak dropped him. Oh, but it didn't end there. After Spike got dropped, Powerglide just showed up in the crowd of Autobots and flew up to catch Spike. No explanation, he just appears. Warpath also just appears without explanation, and without a word.

On the wargame front, the Tank Squad and Air Force arrived at the forward outpost on the county line between Kern and Tulare Counties (I've been reading maps, BTW). Mirage is still gathering information, and according to the most recent report, Bakersfield is still intact, the populace having kept the Decepticons out using stolen Decepticon weaponry mounted on railcars. This is very good news. Perhaps if we can create some sort of rail convoy, we can get into Bakersfield and fan out from there.

* * *

**October 3, 1985**

Well, the rail convoy is feasible in theory. Tyco has a Transformers-themed HO scale train set, but it has problems. First off, it's out of scale with the regular Transformers toys. Plus, the logistics of having tracks that aren't waterproof would be a nightmare.

So, I'm going to plan B: full frontal assault. The remaining Autobots have started making their way to the county line. And I mean all of them: the Mini-Vehicles, Cars, Deluxe Vehicles, Dinobots, Omega Supreme, Optimus Prime, even the Mini-Troopers (the former Mini-Spies).

I left them where they were when it hit 4:00 PM. It was time for the new episode of the cartoon. Today's episode was called "Atlantis, Arise!", and featured a war between Atlantis and Sub-Atlantis. The Autobots and Decepticons, of course, intervene. This was a pretty good episode, in my opinion.

Something I've noticed throughout season two is the lack of nameless Decepticon Seekers. GOOD.

* * *

**October 4, 1985**

The day has come. The Southern California Campaign has begun. Immediately, the full frontal assault began, spearheaded by the Tank Squad, Air Force, Roadbuster, Whirl, the Dinobots, and Jetfire. A three-pronged attack was planned out by Prowl, in which the Autobots would split into three groups, fan out, and then converge on Bakersfield.

Decepticon resistance was very, very heavy. In the first hour, half of the Mini-Troopers were slain. But they'll be back, because they're Redshirts. The Decepticons also lost a few of their own Mini-Troopers.

Things soon began to intensify. The Decepticons had a massive defense line, but fortunately for us, it was comparable to the Maginot Line. With the line clearly failing, the Decepticons went for a more mobile strategy, abandoning the defense line and attempting to push us back. The Tank Squad, though, managed to push back the Decepticon charge, and sent them back on the defensive.

The battle devolved into a back-and-forth tug-of-war (or in this case, a push-of-war). This went on until 4:00 PM, when both sides fell back. Really, me and Katie had stopped just to go inside and watch the new episode of the cartoon, called "Attack of the Autobots". It was pretty awkward there at the end when Optimus Prime hugged Bumblebee, but it was a good episode overall.

After the episode, me and Katie headed back outside to continue the war. By now, Belle had arrived to watch the battle.

Over the next few hours, the battle became an epic struggle. Neither side had a particular advantage, nor had trenches been dug. This all changed when the Autobots were ordered by Optimus to pull back. The Decepticons thought they had won…when lights appeared in the sky.

The missile bombardment had begun.

Taken completely by surprise, a combination of Cybertronian and Tomahawk missiles rained down, hitting vital strategic targets such as turrets, installations, outposts, and bases. The Decepticons were forced to run, but many were cut down by the Autobots as they were routing. Omega Supreme made things worse for them, as he fired his massive cannon upon them.

Into the night, the Decepticons were rallied around Bakersfield, but not actually in the city thanks to the aforementioned rail-based artillery cobbled together by the civilian populace using stolen Decepticon weaponry. Prowl knew that at any moment, the Decepticons may be able to get into the city, so he began shifting his strategic mindset to urban warfare. The Tank Squad, Air Force, and Mini-Troopers charged at the Decepticon defenses, but turned back when they encountered heavy fire. None of the Mini-Troopers made it back to the staging area alive.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee and Hornet had gotten into Bakersfield via a part of Bakersfield not being defended by the Decepticons. They managed to link up with a militia armed with weaponry normally used by Rumble or Frenzy, and launched a flank attack on the main defense line, taking the Decepticons off-guard and causing their defenses to break down. This allowed the main Autobot force to advance. But Starscream was done playing, and proceeded to destroy the rail artillery, allowing the Decepticons to enter Bakersfield and commence the slaughter and leveling. This is where Prowl's urban warfare strategizing came into play, as the larger Autobots were ordered by Optimus to stay out of the city. The Mini-Vehicles would have to handle this in order to minimize collateral damage to human structures.

The battle raged through the night…

* * *

**October 5, 1985**

…and into the wee early morning hours. Despite how late it was, Belle stuck around, and like the Battle of Portland, me and Katie were bound to see this battle through to its conclusion.

The fighting between Autobots and Decepticons raged in the streets of Bakersfield, as the Decepticons held the line. Starscream had taken Thundercracker and Skywarp with him to attack the residential areas, but they were forced to break off the attack by the Autobot Air Force.

Meanwhile, the larger Autobots started heading for Edwards Air Force Base, encountering major resistance, but managing to push through despite getting a few scratches. Whirl was key in sending the Decepticon Mini-Troopers behind cover, and eventually, they were all slain as Ironhide and Roadbuster overran their positions.

The sun was rising as the Autobots reached Edwards Air Force Base. Seekers had been resting on the runway, and they were about to take off…

And then Jetfire flew over, carpet-bombing the runway and destroying most of the Seekers on the ground before they could take off. The ones that did take to the skies were taken out of the skies by Whirl's Paralyzo Box. Decepticon Mini-Troopers (unlike me, she's reusing her Mini-Troopers because they're Redshirts like the Seekers) stormed the Autobots, but were easily gunned down by Ironhide.

At 8:30 AM, the last of the Decepticons occupying Edwards AFB routed, but were cut down by Bluestreak and Sunstreaker. The Autobots cheered, and then groaned as Sunstreaker's ego made itself known. Again.

Back in Bakersfield, the city was smoldering. Many buildings had been destroyed or damaged, and Autobots and Decepticons (thankfully all of the Redshirt variety) lay dead in the streets. Optimus Prime was facing off with Starscream at the Amtrak station, and the two were battered, beaten, and weary. Starscream finally did the right thing by calling a retreat of all surviving Decepticon forces, but not before making one last move: the Mini-Troopers stationed in and around the oil fields were ordered to fire into the wells, and underground upon the oil deposits.

The resulting explosion could be seen from Cybertron. The warring factions even stopped to look.

Starscream had succeeded in one respect: the energy released by the explosion filled many, many, MANY energon cubes, enough to power an assault on twelve star systems, plus Cybertron. He hadn't failed after all! Bidding good death to the Autobots, Starscream and the Decepticons took their leave.

Me and Katie were exhausted, and went to take a nap. We awoke fresh at noon and posted about the battle on Usenet, where many responded immediately, mostly gushing about the epic scale of our battles. Now, if only one could post pictures on Usenet.

Ah, no matter. It was Saturday, so there was no new episode today.

* * *

**October 6, 1985**

The war was on a brief hold so me and Katie could watch the NASCAR Winston Cup Series race from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Cale Yarborough won the race.

Afterwards, it was back to the game.

The battle between the Autobots and Decepticons was devastating. The action ordered by Starscream just before the retreat was a disaster felt round the world. Literally, the explosion of the oil fields had caused a global seismic event.

The explosion itself had left a massive valley where the oil fields once were. Every single oil field in the state had detonated as a result of the chain reaction, also sending explosions throughout intrastate and interstate pipelines, affecting cities and communities as far east as Wyoming. Where the oil fields once were was now nothing but a massive valley filled with earth, debris, and dead bodies, human and Cybertronian alike. Fortunately, the Autobots had managed to escape aboard Omega Supreme, while the Autobots at Edwards AFB had escaped unscathed.

It was a disaster unlike any other. The largest explosion since the Halifax Explosion of 1915 had wiped a good portion of the San Joaquin Valley off the map, including all of Kern, Kings, and Tulare Counties. The pipeline explosions had also caused death and destruction in communities along the pipelines, going all the way up to the oil refineries in Richmond and even to Wyoming.

Optimus Prime surveyed the disaster area…and collapsed to his knees. Words could not describe the devastation standing before him. His only reaction was to scream Starscream's name to the heavens in pure rage.

Later in the day, news came of a space cruiser being launched. The Decepticons were returning to Cybertron to conquer the planet.

* * *

**October 7, 1985**

News came from Cybertron today that the Decepticons had exited the solar system with a battle fleet to conquer other star systems. The previously Earth-based Decepticons, though, returned to Earth to harvest more energy.

This was the cue for the Autobots to begin actively hunting the Decepticons. The main Decepticon base had been uncovered and was promptly destroyed, sending the Decepticon command on the run. They were quick to find a new base, though. It was built in Russia, where they thought the Autobots would never search for them.

At 4:00 PM, it was back in front of the TV for me and Katie. Today's episode was called "Microbots", in which the Decepticons discover the _Nemesis_ and Megatron procures the Heart of Cybertron, making him more powerful than ever. Then things get all "Fantastic Voyage" when Perceptor, Brawn, and Bumblebee shrink down to go into Megatron's body to extract the Heart of Cybertron, which is very unstable and liable to destroy him and many others. We were rolling on the floor laughing when the Decepticons got drunk on energon.

Back in California, the Autobots tried as best they could to dig out, freeing whatever survivors they could, but it was no use. The whole area was a total loss.

That is, until an idea flew into Bumblebee's processor. The area didn't have to be a total loss if the Autobots rebuilt the area using Cybertronian technology. Optimus just picked up Bumblebee, called him a pure genius, and ordered work be started immediately. The US government, though, said no. It was too expensive, and they were still reeling from the effects of World War III, but the Autobots said they would do it all at no charge. Reagan couldn't pass up that offer.

Immediately, the Autobots began construction of the new techno-organic San Joaquin Valley. First, the entire blast area was excavated using various vehicles the Autobots had constructed (really, they were Tonka construction vehicles bought from Johnson's), removing millions of tons of debris, earth, and dead bodies. The debris was salvaged for repair (mainly rail vehicles belonging to the Southern Pacific, ATSF, Amtrak, and San Joaquin Valley Railroad), or hauled away on massive star freighters to be dumped into the sun, while the bodies were taken for identification and proper burials, and the earth was put back in place to provide a base for the project.

Next, the Autobots launched several ships (all built from LEGOs) to get raw materials from Near-Earth Objects. Some ships went out as far as the asteroid belt, and the Autobots even set up a base on the Moon (my room).

Who else to put in charge of the project than Grapple. The guy's over the moon right now, and he and Huffer are planning out construction.

Belle and the model-making club will be over tomorrow to assist in construction (like I said, our estate is huge, clocking in at 500 acres; in theory, we could build a model of the whole world and still have lots of open space).

* * *

**October 8, 1985**

Belle and the model-making club came over to help us with construction of the new Cybertronian San Joaquin Valley. This project has everything, from solar plants and hydroponic farms to a futuristic highway and the finest technology. If you ask me, it makes Walt Disney's vision for a working city of tomorrow look like a city for the 80s, while this…this is a city for the next century.

Grapple is the lynchpin of this project, and what luck that today's episode of the cartoon was about him. Called "The Master Builders", it was about Grapple and Hoist building a Solar Power Tower with the Constructicons, who claim to have defected, but are actually doing it so Megatron can capture it. Also, Optimus was playing basketball with Spike. I couldn't begin to imagine how big the ball would need to be!

Going back to the construction project, the model-making club set to work building up the city using their many, many molds. They used multiple illustrations from the comics as reference, and reused several molds from the upstairs Cybertron model. Me, Katie, and Belle, meanwhile, were setting down the foundation and kitbashing guns from warship, Gundam, and Macross kits to create a defense network against Decepticon attack.

I must say, we made very good progress on construction today. Perhaps we'll be finished by tomorrow…

* * *

**October 9, 1985**

The Decepticons found out about the project today. So what did they do? Try to attack it! While me, Belle, and the model-making club were building, Katie brought out a few of her Decepticon toys to add a little excitement. Fortunately, my Autobot toys were on hand representing the construction crew, and fought them off. The 'Cons attempted several more hit-and-run attacks throughout the day, the last one involving the Insecticons.

And wouldn't you know it? Today's episode was about the Insecticons! In "The Insecticon Syndrome", the Insecticons fed on a source of energy causing them to grow. Sounds bad, right? Well, they would've exploded if they hadn't been cured. The situation, which eventually involved the Insecticons getting mutinous again and using Soundwave for their nefarious purposes, was so dire, Optimus Prime had to resort to using Megatron in alt-mode to shoot the cure into them. Beachcomber was in the episode, too.

As the sun set, the topping out ceremony was held, and the new San Joaquin Valley was complete. Well, the southern third, at least. We celebrated by eating at McDonald's.

That night, the Decepticons attempted one more attack, but the Autobots had brought the defenses online, and shot down all four Seekers that had been sent.

* * *

**October 17, 1985**

It's been over a week, I know, but things have actually been quiet lately. Decepticon activity has been low-level, and all they're doing is…going grocery shopping. Huh. Interesting. Unless…they're planning to make energon using calories, vitamins, and minerals!

Well, over the past week or so, they've continued airing new episodes of the cartoon every weekday at 4:00 PM on the local CBS affiliate. There was a two-parter called "Megatron's Master Plan", which, in my opinion, involved a ton of stupidity. Thirty seconds of falsified footage showing the Autobots stealing energy, and the humans waste no time in booting the Autobots from Earth.

What? I mean…WHAT?! That's bullsh*t! They convicted on such flimsy evidence, making it a veritable kangaroo court! And the absurdly inept trial lawyers did NOTHING to examine every bit of evidence! Plus, public opinion of the Autobots changed so quickly, it's unbelievable! The Autobots have been saving their asses for over a YEAR! And all of a sudden, they trust the Decepticons over the Autobots?! Plus, Megatron programmed the ship to send the Autobots into the Sun. HOW DID HE FORGET COSMOS?!

And then, the humans end up regretting what they did when Megatron goes ahead and enslaves the human race!

Oh, but today's episode, "City of Steel", felt worse. For one thing, it definitely wasn't animated by Toei. Mr. Johnson called me up and said he found out it was animated by a South Korean studio called AKOM. I can tell, because it the art and animation was bright and cartoony, alot of stock poses were used, the plot and scripting were more juvenile than normal, and there was a common set of animation model oddities. For example, Optimus' backpack was white instead of red, and Megatron's gun barrel was a darker shade of grey. And to top it all off, they screwed up the layout of New York City! I'd know what it looks like, because me and Katie have access to maps and building plans since we're so stupid rich.

Well, anyway, the Decepticons are buying groceries for some reason, and I'm pretty sure it's for the reason I already stated: converting vitamins, minerals, and calories into energon. If my suspicions are true, we'll have to do something.

* * *

**October 29, 1985**

Today's episode was SCHLOCK. Why? BECAUSE IT WAS ANIMATED BY AKOM! Their use of the wrong character models showed again, it had an absurd plot (Megatron wants to gather energy from the Earth's core using a giant drill, but things get complicated), the amount of animation shortcuts made this look like Hanna-Barbera made it (they're doing the GoBots cartoon), and the art was simplistic, and was riddled with errors. Plus, Starscream running towards Devastator waving his arm and shouting his name was a really stupid moment. Come on, Screamer! You're smarter than that! You yourself voiced concerns about drilling into the Earth's core! At least the sound mixing was good, Chip Chase's wrong model was actually a good thing because he was wearing something different than the last time we saw him, and Optimus' last line rang true.

* * *

**October 30, 1985**

The Decepticons' plans are what I feared: buying groceries (or for better word, raiding Russian grocery stores), and then extracting the vitamins, minerals, and calories to make energon. The Autobots, using Omega Supreme as transportation, found Decepticon base (still Katie's room) and a firefight broke out, ending with several Mini-Troopers and Seekers being killed. The Autobots beat a hasty retreat after taking back all of the stolen food and raiding the energon. This has left Starscream PISSED.

On the cartoon front, today's episode was called "Make Tracks", starring Tracks, of course. In this episode, the Autobots have set up a crime busting program in New York City (which is looking MUCH more realistic), and in cooperation with the NYPD. The main focus involves Tracks getting jacked by a teen named Raoul, and it soon becomes that the recent of carjackings are a Decepticon plot. Megatron is turning the cars into an army of drones.

There were a few strange moments in this episode, such as a random scene in which Powerglide and Cosmos chase Starscream into a mall…and NO ONE NOTICES. There was also a scene with a car crash at a four-way intersection that was pretty atmospheric since the scene had no music in it. It was a nice change of pace, but there was a very glaring error: Hoist was RIDING INSIDE HUFFER. It's IMPOSSIBLE to do that! Huffer is a Mini-Vehicle, and Hoist is a regular Autobot Car. In fact, I can fit my Huffer inside Hoist's cab!

I can't help but feel the same studio that animated "A Prime Problem" animated this episode as well.

* * *

**October 31, 1985**

The Decepticons buzzed the Ark today, but it seems more like Starscream is trying to tweak our noses. He knows where our base is, and we know where his is.

Ah, no matter, because today's episode was ANOTHER AKOM EPISODE! The plot was better, though, in that the Autobots were putting on a race for charity, and the Decepticons made an invention that traps Transformers in vehicle mode. The same animation model oddities showed up, and I've noticed a pattern with AKOM episodes: they all prominently feature the Constructicons.

Oh, and another thing: Happy Halloween!

* * *

**November 12, 1985**

Twelve days after their last appearance, the Decepticons reappeared on the global stage, this time attacking San Francisco. Autobot response was swift, and both sides are entrenched in urban warfare.

The Battle of San Francisco has begun.

As for the cartoon, today's episode, "The Search for Alpha Trion", was…AWESOME! We finally got confirmation of the existence of female Transformers, and of romance between Transformers. The main focus was Alpha Trion, and Optimus Prime's girlfriend, Elita One. We also had Chromia (Ironhide's girlfriend), Moonracer (an old friend of Powerglide), and Firestar (a friend of Inferno). We found out about the Autobot Resistance on Cybertron (not possible in our wargame because of the _Road Warrior_ situation), and that Shockwave thought the female Autobots were extinct. But now I have questions: just how do Transformers procreate? Also, I SOOOOO want an Elita One toy! Make it happen, Hasbro!

* * *

**November 13, 1985**

The Battle of San Francisco rages on. I can tell this is going to a VERY long battle. So long, in fact, by the time it ends, the 1986 assortment will probably be out!

Prowl's urban warfare mindset was coming in handy, and we made small gains today. The most intense fighting was on Market Street, Nob Hill, the Presidio, and Golden Gate Park. Along Market Street, barricades went up as the Autobots and Decepticons played a game of back-and-forth. A few fake charges sent the Decepticons behind and allowed us to move up a tiny bit. In Golden Gate Park, the Mini-Vehicles' size certainly came in handy, as they were able to hide behind trees to surprise the larger Decepticons. The Decepticon Mini-Troopers tried the same strategy to no avail.

On Nob Hill, the Decepticons had the high ground, but the Autobot charges were so frequent they began to waver as the battle war on.

Optimus Prime has set up a staging area at Fishermen's Wharf. A forward outpost under Prowl's command is located in Union Square. Reports from Seaspray are currently placing the Decepticon command center at the San Francisco Zoo.

A brief 30-minute break to watch the new episode occurred at 4:00 PM. The episode was called "Auto-Bop", and involved a teen dance club called Dancitron, which was actually a front for a Decepticon brainwashing operation. Raoul from "Make Tracks" returned, though he had very different colors. Clearly, the as-of-yet unidentified studio who did "Make Tracks" did not do this, but rather, this was another Toei episode. I always like the Toei episodes, as they seem to know what they're doing. COMPARED TO AKOM!

Returning to the battle, the Decepticons made their big push at around 6:42 PM. Autobot positions on Market Street were overrun as Devastator came sprinting down the street, barreling through Autobot defenses as if wholesale destruction was child's play. Prowl's outpost was forced to retreat as enemy forces from Nob Hill overran Union Square. The Tank Squad and Air Force, which had been staged across the bay in Marin County, sped across the Golden Gate Bridge in a flank attack on the Decepticon Command Center, effectively knocking out communications between Decepticon military command and the troops on the frontline.

The frontline charge was being led by Shockwave, and for a time, it seemed that the Decepticons may actually succeed, destroy San Francisco, exterminate its populace, and then spread out to bleed the whole Bay Area dry. Starscream and the Decepticon military commanders joined Shockwave on the frontlines after the Command Center was overrun, as the battle raged through the night…

* * *

**November 14, 1985**

…And, as with the battles in Portland and Bakersfield, into the wee morning hours. By now, the surviving civilian population of San Francisco, as well as the populace of the whole Bay Area, had been evacuated. All the lights in San Francisco were out; the only thing lighting the night sky were laser bolts, fires, and moonlight. Several large explosions would rock the city through the night.

The battle devolved into a series of low-level conflicts around 1:00 AM, as me and Katie went to an area not occupied by any models, set up a tent, and went to sleep.

We awoke at 8:00 AM, feeling fresh, and continued the battle. However, before that, we did a little…decoration. And by decoration, I mean making the city look like a battle between giant robots had taken place through the night.

At 8:30 AM, things had calmed down. By now, the city looked war-torn. Much of the Financial District lay in ruin, and fires raged out of control in the Transamerica Pyramid until the structural supports were compromised, bringing the skyscraper down. Among the other structures and landmarks destroyed or severely damaged were Coit Tower, Sutro Tower, the Ferry Building, the Embarcadero Freeway (California State Route 480), the San Francisco Zoo, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Western Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, Alcatraz, Ghirardelli Square, Union Square (a side-effect of the destruction of the Financial District), and much of Golden Gate Park, including the California Academy of Science, Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers, Kezar Stadium, and the Polo Fields. The windmills had been captured for energon production purposes. Smoke hung heavy in the city, as fires continued to rage out of control. Some of the smaller blazes, thankfully, had been extinguished by Inferno, though massive firestorms continued to sweep through Nob Hill, French Quarter, Civic Center, Chinatown, Sunset District, Castro, Dogpatch, North Beach, Tenderloin, Telegraph Hill, Marina District, Pacific Heights, West Portal, and all through the Western Addition.

Autobot forces were still fighting a very fierce fight, as casualties mounted on both sides. The wounded and dead were taken to a triage/morgue unit set up by Ratchet in San Rafael, across the Golden Gate Bridge. Among the wounded were Skids, Gears, Abrams, Sunstorm, Roadbuster, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Huffer, Grapple, Downshift, and several Mini-Troopers. The dead included merely Mini-Troopers, but anything could still happen.

Back in downtown, the situation had grown untenable for both sides. Supplies were growing short, and the Decepticons had lost control of the windmills in Golden Gate Park, losing their resupply point. Starscream knew that he had lost, but Shockwave refused to admit defeat, and continued on, despite starting to waver himself. Starscream finally gave the full retreat order. Shockwave refused the order, but eventually complied after Starscream threatened to blow his head off. As the Decepticons retreated, the Autobots cheered. Once more, good had triumphed over evil!

But at what cost? The city was in ruin, and with it, an important part of the American economy. By the time the Decepticons withdrew around 1:00 PM, the fires had largely burned themselves out. A few smaller blazes continued to burn, but were dealt with by Inferno.

The Autobots then began the long, excruciating process of recovery. Fortunately, the Golden Gate Bridge was still intact, allowing resources to brought in from the Ark. Grapple was patched up, given a once-over by Hoist, and released, and almost immediately began salvaging everything he could, helping survivors buried in rubble and making sure not to injure any of them. He even found a baby, and rushed out of the city to the refugee camps in the empty expanses of Gilroy to deliver him to his family. Such devotion from an Autobot was caught on camera by a news chopper, and broadcast worldwide. The nations of Earth might not agree on everything, but they do agree about one thing: the Autobots were their friends, their staunch allies, their enlightenment.

At 5:00 PM, half an hour after the new episode (called "Prime Target"), the order was given to reconstruct San Francisco in the same way that Kern, Kings, and Tulare Counties were. Grapple was once again put in charge, and again, he was on cloud nine.

* * *

**November 28, 1985**

Happy Thanksgiving! Dinner was DIVINE, as was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the National Dog Show, and the game between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. The Transformers cartoon is on hiatus right now, but the two most recent episodes had something in them. Something I never thought would happen. Two Combiner teams were introduced in a two-parter called "The Key to Vector Sigma". The plot involved the Decepticons stealing various motor vehicles around the world, including a big rig, a Formula 1 car, a Porsche, a Lamborghini, and a Ferrari. They were tested via remote-control, and given the name the Stunticons.

To give them personalities, the Decepticons took them to Cybertron to the supercomputer Vector Sigma, along with the key. All five were given names and personalities: the big rig became Motormaster, the F1 car became Drag Strip, the Lamborghini became Breakdown, the Porsche became Dead End, and the Ferrari became Wildrider. The Autobots who followed became stranded, but with Alpha Trion's help, five old shuttles were rebuilt to resemble Earth aircraft. The key to Vector Sigma was still with Megatron, but Alpha Trion, being a first-generation Transformer, merged with the supercomputer as a living key. In short, Alpha Trion is dead. And here's a good question: WHERE'S ELITA ONE?!

The five shuttles were given personalities by Vector Sigma and became the Aerialbots. There was Silverbolt, a Concorde SST, Air Raid, an F-15, Fireflight, an F-14 Phantom II, Skydive, and F-16A, and Slingshot, a Sea Harrier. Upon their introduction, I looked over at Katie. Her face had turned pale at the horrifying realization that the Aerialbots were part of the early 1986 lineup, if not earlier, since apparently, Skids had been at Johnson's since December 1984.

The climax further cemented her horror, but gave her a little hope. Both the Aerialbots and Stunticons went at it with each other, and then…they combined. The Aerialbots became Superion, and the Stunticons became Menasor. She knew what this meant: I was getting my own Combiner team. Then again, she would still outnumber me 2-1 because she still had Devastator.

* * *

**December 25, 1985**

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Boy, what a day! I got so much for Christmas! Among the things I got was a Nintendo Entertainment System, which came packaged with two games (_Super Mario Bros. _and _Duck Hunt_), two controllers, and a light gun called the "Zapper". I also got a few VHS tapes with Transformers episodes.

But the coup de grace, in my opinion, was Katie's gift to me. It seemed big, but not too big. So, opened it, eyes closed, and when all of the paper was off, I looked.

And screamed.

It was them. It was really them. The first of the 1986 assortment had come! IT WAS THE AERIALBOTS! All five in a gift set! They were all here: Silverbolt, Air Raid, Fireflight, Skydive, and Slingshot, the whole kazoo! The gift set also came with everything necessary to combine them into Superion!

The sight of this brought a tear to my eye, and then it hit me: Katie had got this for me. I was so touched that I couldn't conjugate words, so I just hugged her tight.

It seemed like today, the Aerialbots dominated my life, as they actually aired a new episode of the cartoon today. In this episode, "War Dawn", the Aerialbots were flung back in time to the early days of the war between Autobots and Decepticons. Here, we met a few neutral Cybertronians named Orion Pax, Ariel, and Dion. While doing his job as a dock worker, Orion was approached by Megatron, who led him to the warehouse…and a Decepticon ambush. In the process, Orion, Ariel, and Dion were shot by Megatron.

A stranger with a mustache appeared and rebuilt Orion. It was then revealed how significant Orion Pax is: he was rebuilt into Optimus Prime! The stranger, who is really Alpha Trion, muses about rebuilding Ariel as well, into a warrior named Elita One.

I knew it.

That night after Christmas dinner, me and Belle retired to my room to look over the Aerialbots. All five of them are just fantastic, well-molded, and have quite a bit of articulation in their shoulders. I followed the instructions for combining them, and soon, Superion was born! He was glorious, absolutely glorious. The Decepticons were going down!

Then, I remembered that I had actually gotten Katie something, and totally forgotten about it until now! So, I went downstairs with it, told Katie about it, and apologized for not remembering it earlier. She held no grudge, though. I was only human, after all.

She did what I did earlier with the Superion gift set: closing her eyes and tearing away the paper. She opened her eyes, and gasped.

My coup de grace gift to her was the Aerialbots' opposite numbers.

The Stunticons gift set.

They were all here: Motormaster, Drag Strip, Breakdown, Wildrider, and Dead End. Katie was so overcome with emotion that she…she…

She was so caught up in the moment that she kissed me. ON THE LIPS. Uh, gee, Katie, I didn't know you felt that way.

Of course, she apologized, but I held no grudge. We all get caught up in the moment at one point or another. Me, Katie, and Belle headed to my room to take all five Stunticons out of their box, transformed them, and combined them into Menasor. Then, we took a picture of Superion and Menasor together. I won't go into detail about what happened later that night…

* * *

**January 7, 1986**

Woo, first entry of the year! And, as I expected, the war has intensified ever since the Aerialbots and Stunticons were created. But guess what? Today's episode introduced ANOTHER DECEPTICON COMBINER TEAM!

The episode, called "Starscream's Brigade", left me with mixed feelings. The plot involved Megatron finally doing something about the Starscream situation, so what does he do? Banish him from Decepticon ranks. In essence, Starscream had been FIRED. Angry, Starscream found some old World War II vehicles, which he decided to make into his personal army. Recovering five personality components belonging to political prisoners, he put them in the vehicles, and they became the Combaticons. The team consisted of Onslaught (a truck with an anti-aircraft gun), Brawl (a Leopard 1A3 tank), Blast Off (a space shuttle), Swindle (an FMC XR311 combat support vehicle), and Vortex (an SH-2 Seasprite helicopter). They combine to form Bruticus, a mass of dumb-muscle. During the third act, they basically proved that Devastator has been outmatched, but were then beaten by Menasor in a surprise attack. As a result, Starscream and the Combaticons were banished from Earth by Megatron (since when did Earth become HIS jurisdiction?!) and dumped on an asteroid by Astrotrain. Geez, too much Starscream-bashing!

You know, actually, the Combaticons first appeared in the episode "Aerial Assault", which aired on December 10, 1985.

* * *

**January 8, 1987**

Today's episode, "Revenge of Bruticus", was a direct continuation of "Starscream's Brigade". In it, Starscream and Bruticus tamper with the space bridge to bring Earth and the sun dangerously close. And for what? To extort Megatron's leadership. Chaos on Earth soon introduces us to another new Combiner team…who are Autobots! Yes! They're called the Protectobots, and consist of a fire truck named Hot Spot, a police car named Streetwise, a helicopter named Blades, a police motorcycle named Groove, and an ambulance named First Aid. They combine to form Defensor.

Everything works out in the end, for both sides, no less. Earth is saved, the Combaticons became full-time Decepticons, and Megatron even lets Starscream back into the Decepticons for providing him with five deadly warriors.

On the warfront, the Aerialbots have been working hand-in-hand with Jetfire and the Autobot Air Force to strip the Decepticons of their air superiority. At the same time, though, the Decepticons are starting to make their presence on the roads heard via the Stunticons. Why, just today, they raised hell on the roads of Detroit, but were sent packing by Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.

During dinner tonight, Katie confided to me that she was starting to get the feeling Devastator was becoming outclassed by the new Combiners.

* * *

**January 9, 1985**

What. Was. THAT?! I'll tell you what it was: WORST. EPISODE. _**EVER!**_

The second season finale (according to information Mr. Johnson obtained from Sunbow) was called "B.O.T.", and it contained two of the most loathsome characters I have ever seen. They're a pair of high-school students named Roland and Martin. What's their shtick? THEY'RE ASSHOLES! They drag a girl named Elise Presser everywhere they go, used a lethal laser AS A PRANK, and worst of all, THEY GAGGED ELISE AND DRAGGED HER AWAY AT THE END OF THE EPISODE! And what did the Autobots do?

_**NOTHING!**_

Plus, the world in this episode is SOOOO bizarre! First off, two of the background students are clearly just modified character models from _Jem and the Holograms_, and two more are thugs in business suits! Then, the titular B.O.T. is powered by Brawl's personality component because Swindle sold it. That's in-character for Swindle, seeing as how he's Capitalism incarnate, but HOW DID ELISE GET HER HANDS ON IT?! EXPLAIN, SHOW, EXPLAIN!

Good god, I need a stiff drink.

Alright, I'm back. I can tell this episode wasn't animated by Toei or AKOM, but the same studio that animated "A Prime Problem", "Make Tracks", "The Secret of Omega Supreme", "Kremzeek!", "Sea Change", and "Triple Takeover". I'm not sure what the studio's name is, but according to what information Mr. Johnson has on hand, it's based in the Philippines.

So, that's the end of season two. I've been told there will definitely by a third season, but before that, there will be…

A theatrical movie. I can't wait.


	4. Chapter 4

_The following entries take place between January 28, 1986 and February 25, 1987_

* * *

**January 28, 1986**

There was no war today, as me and Katie, along with the entire nation, are in mourning. This morning, we were eagerly watching the launch of Space Shuttle _Challenger_ on mission STS-51-L, carrying the first teacher into space, Christa McAuliffe. We were at Belle's house (the Johnson family has a 340-acre estate) watching it with her. At launch, we started the clock, and thought that this was going to be a routine launch. It was anything but.

At one minute, thirteen seconds into launch, there was a blurred close-up of the shuttle stack. The whole thing was suddenly engulfed in a cloud, before the camera view cut back to show a massive, expanding plume of gas. There was little to no fire, suggesting that there was no explosion, as they've been saying in the media. We waited for the orbiter to exit the cloud, but it never did. What did exit the cloud were the solid rocket boosters and a crap ton of debris. It soon became clear what had happened: the entire vehicle had been destroyed, save for the SRBs, which eventually did get destroyed, likely by the range safety officer after he deemed the boosters a threat to property. A parachute from one of the boosters survived. The crew of seven didn't.

Throughout the day, the media kept calling it an explosion. Me, Katie, and Belle did our own investigation using the many, many replays they kept showing, and determined that there was no explosion, but rather, something went horribly wrong with the SRBs (we knew that Morton Thiokol engineers had concerns about the O-rings and the bleed-out that had happened on prior launches, but NASA management did nothing), flinging the stack broadside into the airstream and tearing the external tank and orbiter apart from abnormal g-forces. Had it been an explosion, it would have been very fiery, and there would have been a concussion shockwave (accounting for a delay due to distance). Those are just our observations, and we'll let the investigation play out before making any further conclusions.

Believe it or not, Ronald Reagan actually cancelled his State of the Union address to instead address the country about the tragedy. Disasters like these always seem to unite the country.

* * *

**February 4, 1986**

Trailers have started appearing for _The Transformers: The Movie_. I can tell it's an early version, because of some unfinished animation. Among the cast are Judd Nelson (from _The Breakfast Club_) as a new character named Hot Rod, Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) as another new character named Galvatron, and the late, great Orson Welles as a giant planet-eating thing named Unicron. I've been hearing this movie was the last one Orson Welles took part in before his death. What a legend…

* * *

**February 18, 1986**

Mr. Johnson has managed to procure a set of catalogs from this year's New York Toy Fair. The one me and Katie gravitated to was the Hasbro catalog. Taking a seat in the backroom at Johnson's, we went straight to the Transformers section to see what was new for 1986.

First page was the Mini-Vehicles. Bumblebee was among them, as were all of the 1985 Mini-Vehicles. There were a few new ones, though. They were Tailgate, Hubcap, Pipes, Outback, Swerve, and Wheelie. Of the five, Wheelie looks Cybertronian. Huh.

Second page had Mini-Cassettes. It still had Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage among the assortment, but Laserbeak was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a new cassette named Ratbat. They were just half the assortment, though. For now, there were FOUR AUTOBOT MINI-CASSETTES! Their names were Rewind, Eject, Steeljaw, and Ramhorn. Clearly designed for use with Blaster. Perfect…

Page 3-4: the combiner teams. It was the guys we already knew about: the Aerialbots, Protectobots, Stunticons, and Combaticons. We already had the Aerialbots and Stunticons, and are waiting on the other two teams. Katie keeps saying she has something planned for Brawl…oh, boy.

On page 5 was Ultra Magnus, the Autobot City Commander. He looks alot like Optimus Prime, but with a different trailer clearly meant to take Autobots into battle. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Page 6 introduced us to the Decepticon Battlespringers: Runamuck and Runabout. Not sure what their gimmick is, but judging by their description, they're trouble.

Turning to page 7, we found the Autobot Cars. Grapple, Hoist, Inferno, Red Alert, Smokescreen, and Tracks were there, as were three new characters, clearly with Cybertronian altmodes. They were Hot Rod, Blurr, and Kup.

On page 8, we found the Decepticon planes. There were two new characters named Scourge and Cyclonus, both with Cybertronian altmodes. Starscream and all three 1985 Seekers (Ramjet, Dirge, and Thrust) were also seen. Not seen were Thundercracker and Skywarp. What happened to them? Did Scourge and Cyclonus replace them?

Finally, on page 9, was Decepticon City Commander Galvatron. My god, look at him. He's a f*cking beast! When he's released…I don't want to think of what this could mean for the Autobots.

Quite a good line-up, but I noticed some things: alot of the Autobots and Decepticons I had come to know and love over the past two years were absent. The only ones left from the 1984 assortment were Bumblebee, Starscream, Rumble, Frenzy, and Ravage. As for the 1985 assortment, all of the 1985 Mini-Vehicles and all but one of the 1985 cars were still present (Skids was the lone exception).

But where were all the 1984 Autobot Cars? The rest of the 1984 Mini-Vehicles? Skids? The Autobot Deluxe Vehicles? The Dinobots? Omega Supreme? Jetfire? Blaster? Perceptor? The Jumpstarters? Thundercracker and Skywarp? Soundwave? Shockwave? The Insecticons (both regular and deluxe)? The Triple Changers? And most importantly: where were Optimus Prime and Megatron?!

Curiouser and curiouser…

* * *

**March 3, 1986**

The early birds of the 1986 assortment have arrived. It's mainly just the Protectobots and Combaticons, but the Battlespringers (now known as the Battlechargers) were also released. Mr. Johnson says the main players of the 1986 toyline are coming next month. Oh, I can't wait!

Following the procurement of the new guys, the war went on. The Decepticons have two new combiner teams, but so do we. Two Decepticons named Runamuck and Runabout had escaped from the violence on Cybertron, and were now giving us a HEADACHE. These delinquents are working in tandem with the Stunticons to destroy rush-hour traffic. GOOD GOD, WHY?! Well, at least we've still got air superiority.

* * *

**March 7, 1986**

Katie said last month when we were looking over that Toy Fair 1986 catalog that she had plans for Brawl. I find out what it was today.

And it couldn't be any more horrifying.

She bought **25 BRAWL TOYS DIRECTLY FROM HASBRO.** She says she's going to use them as generic Decepticon tanks, intending to counter the Tank Squad. And she's gonna use them as Redshirts.

Oh, god, please no.

Their first deployment was a disaster for us. Why, you may ask? THEY KILLED THE JUMPSTARTERS! They're dead! Topspin and Twin Twist are dead! And they severely damaged Beachcomber! HEY! WE KINDA NEED HIM!

Ooh, I'll get my own! JUST YOU WAIT, KATIE!

* * *

**March 9, 1985**

Ratchet did all he could, but ultimately, Beachcomber succumbed to his injuries. His loss was greatly mourned, but no one took it harder than Cliffjumper. He took it so hard, in fact that he rushed out of the Ark screaming as loud as he could, and went Decepticon hunting.

He stormed Decepticon HQ, and began firing indiscriminately. In the first few seconds of his rampage, Buzzsaw, all three components of Reflector, and multiple Seekers and tanks were gunned down. He then proceeded to start shooting the computer consoles and other various systems, before leaving.

Starscream was shocked, flabbergasted even. He didn't even order anyone to pursue.

He really needed to sit down and take this all in.

* * *

**March 13, 1986**

It was a normal day at my house. I was watching a rerun of _The Smurfs_, eating popcorn and drinking Sunny D. All of a sudden, Belle burst into the family room, saying that Katie had been…busy. When I inquired, she said these haunting words:

"The Decepticons have conquered Detroit."

I stood up in shock and outrage, and then told Belle I would need an extra set of hands on this one.

The Battle of Detroit was imminent.

*Sigh* This is gonna take several days of preparation.

With Beachcomber and the Jumpstarters dead, we've lost a bit of firepower. But that won't stop us!

* * *

**March 14, 1986**

Mirage went behind enemy lines overnight and brought back valuable information. This is what we know:

The Constructicons have erected a strong, almost impenetrable defense network. Massive guns surround the city.

40% of the human populace is dead, and 70% of the city has been leveled.

The Decepticons outnumber us 7-4.

We'll need A LOT of preparation before we can attack. It might take a month, by which time the main 1986 assortment should be out.

* * *

**March 15, 1986**

We are once again receiving assistance from the US government, who are supplying energy, cruise missiles, and other resources.

Meanwhile, the Protectobots are proving their worth, greatly improving safety in the newly-rebuilt San Francisco. Ah, the new San Francisco has it all: futuristic homes, touchscreens and video phones in every building, advanced traffic monitoring systems, and a clean, efficient power source: the sun. Of course, not everything was changed. Many of the older buildings (IE the Ferry Building, Coit Tower, Alcatraz, the Western Span of the Bay Bridge) were rebuilt to their original forms, and the Autobots didn't touch the mass transit system, not even the cable cars (though they highly recommended rebuilding multiple streetcar and cable car lines that had been torn out, and offered to have Grapple and Huffer rebuild them).

Smaller skirmishes between Autobot and Decepticon forces have broken out in the Midwest as Mini-Troopers have attempted to set up forward outposts for the upcoming attack on Detroit. The biggest was in a small town in Minnesota between Superion and Bruticus, which ended in Bruticus' defeat and the Combaticons routing.

* * *

**March 22, 1986**

Preparations for the Battle of Detroit continued today. It's gonna take a REALLY long time to pull resources together.

There was some news today, though. An SOS signal came from Iacon. The message was from Autobots still loyal to the cause and constantly having to take shelter from the warlords and their gangs. Optimus Prime has sent Omega Supreme to rescue them. He'll be there for some time, though, as he's also been sent to clear some of the warlords, gangs, and hooligans from Cybertron and lock down Iacon.

Meanwhile, in Detroit, Starscream has ordered the destruction of the auto plants, intending to replace them with various Cybertronian buildings, such as energon refineries, assembly lines for weapons and empty shells, and even a place to house Hacker Sigma, the evil brother of Vector Sigma, so they can give these shells personalities. In other words: Starscream is growing his army the old-fashioned way!

Well, fortunately for us, a copy of Vector Sigma is now here on Earth so WE can grow our own army, too! Escalation, baby! Yeah!

* * *

**March 25, 1986**

A report came from Iacon today, delivered by Ultra Magnus via comm. linkup. Omega Supreme has managed to wipe out five entire gangs with minimal collateral damage. Magnus stated that he and his entire contingent will arrive on Earth in half an Earth month. Oh, I can't wait!

All the same, though, Starscream has also received an SOS signal from the last Decepticon stronghold on Cybertron. The unnamed Decepticon, for whom Mirage did not get a name, stated that the malcontents think Megatron is still alive, and that most Decepticon territory has been lost to them. Starscream replied by saying he would send Astrotrain on a rescue mission. After ending transmission, Starscream turned to Shockwave, and the two began conversing about "Project X". Curiouser and curiouser…

* * *

**April 7, 1986**

The call came from Belle today: the main 1986 assortment is here! Aw, yeah, son! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

We rushed out the door, and didn't stop running until we reached Johnson's. Mr. Johnson was standing outside, ready to receive us. In fact, we were the first people inside the store today.

Ushering us in, we headed to the Transformers section…and found Thomas the Tank Engine ERTL toys. What?! Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE Thomas the Tank Engine and I've read the Rev. W. Awdry's books for years, but WHAT?!

Mr. Johnson explained that there were so many new toys (a few of them were large), that he had to move the Transformers section to a larger, previously-unoccupied section of the store. So, we followed him to the new section. I swear, there was some heavenly light coming from it.

When we reached the new Transformers section, the first thing we noticed was a more permanent sign, cardboard standees of Optimus Prime and Megatron, and a poster promoting the upcoming movie. It was a nice setup, certainly better than the old cobbled-together section. It was also a lot bigger, roomier, and had a little diorama with several of the 1984-85 toys.

Me and Katie saw big signs saying "NEW FOR 1986!" and so we gravitated towards that section. What I found was…

My god…

I've got SOOOOO MANY REINFORCEMENTS!

First off, there were the Mini-Vehicles. All of the ones I saw in the catalog were here: Wheelie, Hubcap, Tailgate, Pipes, Swerve, and Outback. Bumblebee and all of the 1985 Mini-Vehicles were also here, but Cliffjumper, Brawn, Huffer, Windcharger, and Gears were gone.

Next were the Mini-Cassettes, coming in a pair of two-packs: one had Rewind and Steeljaw, and the other had Eject and Ramhorn. Finally, cassettes for Blaster! Soundwave has truly met his match!

Now we came to the Combiner teams. It was just the Aerialbots and Protectobots. Nothing new here, so NEXT.

Ah, here we are. Here's something new. What was it? AUTOBOT TRIPLE-CHANGERS! We've got Springer (car and helicopter), Sandstorm (sand-rail dunebuggy and S-62 helicopter), and Broadside (aircraft carrier and jet fighter...which is SOOOO out of scale)! Aw, yeah! Astrotrain and Blitzwing have met their matches, and are now outnumbered!

Now, we had the Autobot Cars: Kup, Hot Rod, and Blurr. Now, these guys were interesting because of how bright the colors are, and how Cybertronian they look. But, who am I to argue? Cars are cars.

Next, we had the Heroes: Rodimus Prime and Wreck-Gar. Wait, Rodimus Prime? What does that…oh no…this does not bode well for Optimus Prime. The trailer for the movie boasted of the "final battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron". Oh god, oh god, OH GOD! May I remind you, though, that whatever happens in the movie will NOT affect what happens in the wargame. As for Wreck-Gar, he's a motorcycle. A Cybertronian "junk" motorcycle. Interesting.

Next was the City Commander, Ultra Magnus. Now here's a cool toy. He's got a car carrier trailer, and his robot mode can combine with his trailer to form a "super mode", though the poster I saw depicted this as his default appearance. The Ultra Magnus toy is basically a white Optimus Prime with a longer front axle to facilitate the super mode. Oh, and by the way, in super mode, he has very little articulation. He's practically a brick! But I digress; he's still a really cool toy, and a very useful addition. I might just have to build a city for him to command…

Well, next up is the Motorized Autobot Space Shuttle, Sky Lynx. And good god, what a toy. He can walk on his own! And he can split apart and make various combinations! Furthermore, he's a TRANSPORT SHUTTLE! This. Is. GREAT! He doesn't really have any accessories, but he's already good enough.

Finally, we have…what…the…

This last toy…THIS LAST TOY…IS HUGE! He's the Autobot City, Metroplex! And he comes with three smaller robots: Six-Gun, Slammer, and Scamper (of the three, Slammer is just a drone who can't transform). He's also got A TON of accessories, and what's more, he's got quite a bit of connectivity with other toys (namely, I've found the limb robots of the Combiners can plug into ports on his shoulders and knees, and, while not in the instructions, the base of each Combiner can plug into Metroplex in city mode). This is a VERY, VERY cool toy! And it satisfies my comment about Ultra Magnus commanding a city!

In addition, Blaster, Perceptor, Jetfire, and the Dinobots were still available, but none of the 1984/85 cars were here.

Katie got quite a few Decepticon reinforcements, as well. Starscream, the Coneheads (that's what I'm calling the 1985 Seekers because they look like the SNL characters), Soundwave, all of the Mini-Cassettes, the Constructicons, both varieties of Insecticons (basic and deluxe), Astrotrain, and Blitzwing remained available, but there were brand-new additions, as well.

First, there was a new Mini-Cassette named Ratbat (from the catalog), and he was packaged with Frenzy. Rumble and Ravage were still their own package, but Laserbeak was gone. Huh…

Next were the Combiner teams. We already knew plenty about the Stunticons and Combaticons, but guess what? There's a third team called the Predacons! And they combine to form Predaking! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Now, we have…what the hell is that?! A Sharkticon?! Yeah, his name is Gnaw and he looks NASTY! Oh, god, keep that thing away from me!

The playing field has been evened out with the next 'Con, a Triple Changer named Octane. He transforms into a tanker truck and a jumbo jet (I swear it's a Boeing 767).

Then there were the Decepticon planes: Scourge and Cyclonus. These guys are…well, Scourge's bio says he was "born from Decepticon wreckage" and leads the Sweeps, a "wolf-pack of tracker-terminators designed to hunt down and eradicate Autobots". Cyclonus, meanwhile, is said to have "an oxidating laser that fuses an enemy robot's internal mechanisms". Oh boy…

Well, we don't know what Sweeps are, so Katie went for the next-best option: she bought 10 Scourges.

Now we come to Galvatron. HE'S. A. BEAST! Not only does he transform into a tracked artillery vehicle with an alternate hand-held mode, he's got lights and sounds like Shockwave (the only difference is that Galvatron uses a 9-volt battery)! I can't compete! No Autobot has lights and sounds! Plus, his bio makes him out to be the leader of the Decepticons, not a City Commander! Wait a minute…Galvatron sounds a hell of a lot like Megatron…hmm…

The final new Decepticon product of the 1986 assortment was…OH, COME ON! A CITY?! THEY GET A CITY, TOO?!

Let me introduce Trypticon, a giant…MechaGodzilla thing who transforms into a city and comes with a tank drone named Brunt, and a transforming mini-car named Full-Tilt. Onslaught and Motormaster, using connector pieces, can hook up to him in city mode. And furthermore, TRYPTICON IS MOTORIZED! Seriously, he uses two C batteries, while Brunt uses an AA for the light-up feature. This…this is too much for me to handle. HOW CAN I COMPETE?!

_**HOW?!**_

* * *

**April 8, 1986**

Reinforcements! Reinforcements from Cybertron!

Omega Supreme arrived back at the Ark today with some of the refugees: Ultra Magnus and his security contingent Hot Rod, Kup, Blurr, and Springer, as well as Pipes, Hubcap, Tailgate, and Outback.

The rest came aboard a newcomer, who himself was a refugee, Sky Lynx. He had aboard him Sandstorm, Broadside, Swerve, and a quartet of Mini-Cassettes (Rewind, Eject, Ramhorn, and Steeljaw) who were Blaster's team during the war on Cybertron.

Optimus Prime welcomed them with open arms, and Ultra Magnus briefed the Earth-based Autobots on the situation on Cybertron: society has committed suicide, and it was a free-for-all. Among the prominent factions are the Optimus and Malignus (the latter two names actually come from a Brazilian manufacturer who imported a few 1984 Mini-Vehicle molds to make new characters). They have refused any sort of authority other than that of whatever warlord was in charge of a certain territory.

For now, it seems, Cybertron is a lost cause. The gangs, warlords, and hooligans would surely band together to keep the Autobots and Decepticons off-planet. We can only hope for a miracle, or for the gangs to destroy themselves.

The Decepticons also got reinforcements when Astrotrain returned. Among them were Scourge and Cyclonus, feared hunters on Cybertron. Scourge also brought his men, the Sweeps, along with him. Other refugees include the Predacons, Octane, and Ratbat. Starscream is pleased with the new reinforcements, and has plenty of use for them.

Meanwhile, back in Detroit, the place is now basically Decepticon headquarters, the old base in Russia abandoned after Cliffjumper's rampage. There was a great amount of excitement as the Decepticons were gathered around chatting about…Project X.

It was actually two parts. Starscream and Shockwave were in the latter's lab, looking over the first part. He was a big robot, with a big cannon.

His name: Galvatron.

The Galvatron phase took a whole year. The main goal was to rebuild the deceased Megatron as an even more powerful robot to crush the Autobots and retake leadership of the Decepticons. Shockwave flipped a switch, and Galvatron came to life.

He looked around curiously, wondering where he was. Then, he remembered who he was: Megatron. But his memory circuits told him he had a new name: Galvatron. He instantly recognized Starscream and Shockwave, and warmly greeted them both, thanking them profusely for resurrecting him. Starscream then said he would be abdicating to him, but Galvatron turned him down. Starscream was a much better leader than he ever was, mainly because Starscream's tactics were more effective, he didn't gloat, and he had caused the Autobots and humans much misery, even collecting a ton of energon in the process and conquering twelve star systems. Galvatron was content with being a City Commander…

…this segued nicely into the other part of Project X, which was built from a section of Detroit. On Starscream's order, Shockwave pushed a button, and the section came to life, transformed, and roared. It was a giant robotic dinosaur named Trypticon. He was basically central command for Detroit, now renamed Decepticon City, and would be instrumental in expanding Decepticon territory. Trypticon proved his worth when the US Navy attempted to attack from the Detroit River. They were annihilated in seconds by the massive mechanical beast.

Galvatron took command of Decepticon City within minutes. He didn't really do much at first, though, as he was still getting his bearings.

Meanwhile, intelligence gathered by Mirage was delivered to the Ark. It confirmed their worst fears: Detroit was now Decepticon City, devoid of human life, and all of the buildings had been demolished and replaced with Cybertronian architecture. Optimus Prime came to a grim conclusion: they needed to match the Decepticons with an Autobot City. He ordered its construction immediately, with a mobile command center as the centerpiece. It would be a big project, but someone had to do it.

At the same time, the Battle of Detroit plans were scrapped. Detroit was too far gone.

* * *

**April 9, 1986**

Construction of Autobot City has officially begun. Me, Katie, Belle, and the model-making club held a groundbreaking ceremony at the site, and set to work. We made sure to make the proportions just right so Metroplex could fit in the middle; a slot was even made for him to plug into.

The model-making club jury-rigged a system of gears so massive guns could pop in and out, all by remote control. Me and Belle began building up the skyline, while Katie helped some club members with the walls.

Later in the day, a package arrived. Looking at the return address, it was from Suki. Me and Katie took it inside and opened it. Inside were a video tape and two smaller boxes. First, we took out the videotape and saw it had a Japanese label on it. It said: SCRAMBLE CITY: MOBILIZATION.

So, we popped it in, and saw it was basically an episode of the cartoon! Apparently, according the letter that came with the package, Takara is making a big deal over the new Combiner teams, creating a new sub-line called Scramble City.

The episode was great and mainly served to showcase the Aerialbots, Protectobots, Stunticons, and Combaticons, as well as introduce Blaster's tapes, Metroplex, and Trypticon. The entire special was in Japanese (I have a feeling it won't get an English dub), but did have much of the same music as the normal cartoon. Thankfully, it was animated by Toei, but with the constant combiner-limb-switching gimmick being the main focus of the whole episode, there were repeated coloring mistakes. Ah, well. It was their first time doing this. On another note, thank god me and Katie can understand Japanese. Oh, and Chip Chase finally appeared onscreen with Carly! Until now, we were suspecting a shocking dual-identity.

After the episode was finished, we looked in the package to see what the other two boxes were. We pulled them out, and received a major shock.

They were Combiner gift sets, both with Scramble City branding. One was an Autobot team, the other Decepticon. The Autobot team was the Technobots, consisting of Scattershot, Strafe, Lightspeed, Afterburner, and Nosecone. They combine to form Computron. They all have Cybertronian altmodes and, judging by their bios, are very intelligent.

The Decepticon team, on the other hand, was the Terrorcons, consisting of Hun-Gurrr [sic], Rippersnapper, Blot, Sinnertwin, and Cutthroat. They combine to form Abominus, and all transform into monsters.

I swear, these guys are the early members of the 1987 assortment. Already?! Geez, the 1986 assortment just came out! But I digress, because we've got TWO NEW COMBINER TEAMS! Thank you so much, Suki!

Belle came inside, curious as to where we had disappeared to, and we told her all about it. Needless to say, she was impressed.

* * *

**April 10, 1986**

Construction of Autobot City continued today, with Ultra Magnus overseeing construction. Grapple was having a ball planning it all out and then building it up, while Huffer was on-hand to make sure everything was sound from an engineering standpoint. Wheeljack and Perceptor worked together to design the many systems, while Hoist oversaw construction of the central command base, as it was slated to be a massive Transformer. Even bigger than Omega Supreme, the base, codenamed "Scramble City", was seen as the solution to the issue of Decepticon Combiner teams.

Sometime around 10:00 AM, Sky Lynx returned from an excursion to Cybertron (that was not authorized by Optimus Prime). Prime's anger disappeared when Sky Lynx revealed he had brought more refugees: the Technobots. They were immediately put to work helping Wheeljack and Perceptor with construction of the computer systems, their knowledge being an invaluable asset.

At the same time, though, Decepticon refugees arrived in Decepticon City aboard Astrotrain. They were the Terrorcons. Starscream put them to work on the assembly lines, knowing how stupid they were and that even their tiny processors could comprehend basic shell construction.

At 10:30 PM, Autobot City was complete. A small ceremony was held, in which I thanked everyone for their help.

The Autobots celebrated the completion of their new fortress by putting Metroplex through his paces. The test was a complete success, and the city was declared fully operational, as Ultra Magnus took command of the city.

* * *

**April 15, 1986**

Metroplex has proven very useful. Now, we can have a forward outpost anywhere, and with ample defenses. Ultra Magnus has also proven himself as a force to be reckoned with, since his trailer is a car carrier. The larger Autobots have been able to save themselves the wear and tear on their tires. And if that wasn't enough, all of the other reinforcements are earning their keep:

Broadside gives us a second sea-based Autobot, and the Air Force has been sortieing from him from on air strike missions against Decepticon positions in Asia. Blurr is a good data courier, and has also proven to be one who is very hard to hit. Seriously, this guy is uber-fast! He's even faster than Windcharger!

Springer has been hanging around Autobot City as Ultra Magnus' right-hand man, and is a regular sight in the skies above the fortress. Hot Rod has also been stationed in Autobot City, and despite his inexperience, he has proven to be a competent combatant. Kup is something of a mentor to Hot Rod, and his many millions of year's worth of experience have proven extremely invaluable to the Autobots as a whole.

Sandstorm is an excellent recon unit, while Hubcap (who's actually Bumblebee and Hornet's cousin) is in charge of communications at Autobot City (Blaster's become more of a frontline unit now that he has tapes). Tailgate (Windcharger's brother) has been attached to Metroplex's complement, and is a great scout. Swerve, despite his problems, has been able to help mining operations locate deposits of precious metals.

Pipes, who is actually Huffer's brother, has also been attached to Metroplex, and also has his own museum of American consumerism in a corner of the Ark. And Outback? As a gunner, he's well-trained in using turrets, from Metroplex's turrets to the turret on Optimus Prime's Combat Deck. Oh, and don't get me started on Sky Lynx. We now have a reliable space transport.

Things are going our way at long last!

* * *

**April 16, 1986**

Autobot and Decepticon Cities on are opposite sides of the country, but that hasn't stopped the Autobots and Decepticons from clashing. It's been happening all over the country, and spilling over into Canada and Mexico.

The Tank Squad and Air Force has been keeping the Decepticons on their toes, and Kup is proving a good field commander. Optimus Prime has opened up a second front from the Detroit River using Broadside, and the Air Force has been sortieing from him to carry out small air raids in the lead-up to a larger attack in the near future.

Sky Lynx has been making excursions to Cybertron to drop off energon. Fortunately, some semblance of order in Iacon has been restored by Elita One and her squad (I STILL want an Elita One toy!). Iacon's power grid is slowly being restored, and many, many former Autobots who had joined the gangs were reprogrammed successfully. In return, supplies such as heavy weapons, missiles, and parts have been sent to Earth.

* * *

**April 20, 1986**

The war is heating back up again, as the Decepticons have attacked and occupied Denver.

Is this the Battle of Denver? Yes it is!

This'll be the perfect opportunity to put the refugees through their paces. Fortunately, we still have all the resources from the aborted Battle of Detroit, so we're all set.

Belle will be my extra set of hands, to facilitate larger movements. Not every Autobot is going, though, as we need someone to hold down the fort at Autobot City. Ultra Magnus and a few Mini-Troopers are the ones not going.

The Decepticons don't know we're coming, so we have the element of surprise. This is gonna be a long battle, but we're ready to drag it out until the Decepticons crack.

* * *

**April 21, 1986**

On Optimus Prime's orders, the Autobots CHARGED at Denver. The Decepticons were taken completely off-guard, and had little time to react. The first defense line fell in seconds, as did the second defense line.

Galvatron, who was in charge of the harvesting operation in Denver, ordered the Combiner teams to deploy, and Devastator, Menasor, Bruticus, Predaking, and Abominus met the fists of Superion, Defensor, and Computron. Omega Supreme joined in shortly thereafter, calling it a "beautiful brawl". Or in his dialect: "Brawl: Beautiful". Brawl actually thought Omega Supreme was talking to him, but was silenced by Onslaught.

Prowl once again shifted into an urban warfare strategic mindset, and began giving Optimus options that would minimize collateral damage. Meanwhile, Kup led a charge against a street barricade, and sent the Decepticons scrambling for cover.

Some of the heaviest fighting was around Coors Field, where the Decepticons had constructed a space bridge connecting them to one of the star systems they had conquered so they could bring energon to Earth. It was a stalemate until the brothers Sunstreaker and Sideswipe barreled through, knocking Thundercracker and Skywarp off their feet.

It was during this battle that the Autobots learned of the existence of the Terrorcons, Scourge, Cyclonus, the Sweeps, Galvatron, and Ratbat. The Sweeps proved particularly dangerous, hunting down and killing Mini-Troopers. Optimus Prime wasn't sure who Galvatron was, but he had a sneaking suspicion that he was Megatron.

The battle wore on throughout the day, coming to a head when Devastator destroyed Qwest Tower, and the Dinobots, in turn, sent the Constructicons running. The Combaticons grouped up with them, and reformed Devastator and Bruticus, but they, in turn, were met by Computron, who knocked down Devastator and fought with Bruticus. The Constructicons went in one more time as Devastator, but they were easily pushed away. Scrapper came to a grim conclusion there and then: Devastator had been outclassed by the newer Combiners. The team cut their losses short and departed Denver, depressed.

Into the evening hours, Starscream noticed that Devastator was missing. Concerned, he set out and found them at Denver International Airport, destroying it in a bid to prove six-component teams are just as good as the new Scramble City teams. Starscream managed to calm him down, and gave the Constructicons a pep talk: yes, the new teams are outclassing them, but they serve a greater purpose: construction. Plus, Devastator is stronger than they imagine, they just need to look deep inside themselves to find their inner rage.

Returning to battle, the Constructicons merged once again, and, looking deep within them, Devastator found his inner rage, going on a rampage that killed multiple Mini-Troopers and destroyed Mile High Stadium. They even managed to fell Omega Supreme, but the mighty robot managed to get back up and deliver a mighty punch that sent them flying into the Dinobots, who threw them around like ragdolls until they routed. So much for that pep talk.

* * *

**April 22, 1986**

The battle raged overnight, and I had a feeling that this time, it was gonna stretch for several days. The Decepticons Tanks arrived from Decepticon City around 4:00 AM, but were denied entrance to the city by Warpath and the Tank Squad. In the ensuing firefight, eight Decepticon Tanks were destroyed, and the tanks were forced to turn back. They still managed to get into the city via an alternate route, though.

The Autobot Assembly Area was based in the parking lot of Elitch Gardens. Optimus Prime was providing long-range suppressive fire using the turret on his Combat Deck, as well as relaying orders using his "Tactical Overlay".

As the sun rose, the siege continued. Intense fighting continued all throughout the city, as the Autobots and Decepticons played a back-and-forth game, with neither side keeping gained ground for long. From the Command Center, Galvatron oversaw the battle, giving orders and watching the map.

The Decepticon Tanks were cutting a swathe of destruction through the suburbs, almost reaching Golden before Cliffjumper and Brawn forced them to turn back. They were headed back to Denver, but were cut off by Hot Rod, forcing them to take another route…leading them to a dead end. Boxed in, Bumblebee and Hornet gunned them all down.

Galvatron called for reinforcements from Decepticon City, but they would take ten hours to get there. Since the call came at noon, they would have to hold out until 10:00 PM. This came while the Decepticons finally began losing ground, and the Autobot Air Force began pushing back the Seekers and Sweeps.

Reinforcements arrived at 10:00 PM, on the nose. By now, the Decepticons had lost much ground, and there were doubts that they could regain the initiative, even with the reinforcements. Tanks, Seekers, Sweeps, and Mini-Troopers filed in, but they were Optimus Prime's least concern.

Looming overhead, and landing on the ruins of the aquarium (by now, all of the marine animals within had been grinded up into energon) was Trypticon. The Autobots gazed up in fear and alarm, and many abandoned their positions, despite Optimus' objections. Omega Supreme approached the robotic dinosaur, but shockingly, Omega was picked up and cast asunder into the South Platte River. Cosmos attempted to attack Trypticon, but the latter fired his mouth cannons, hitting Cosmos in a critical spot and sending him crashing into Union Station.

Ratchet, Hoist, First Aid, and Perceptor rushed to the scene, but it was no use. Cosmos had died instantly upon impact.

Trypticon advanced forward, and began rampaging through what was left of Denver, destroying the remaining skyscrapers and buildings, before reaching the State Capitol Building.

The Autobots had redoubled their efforts around the capitol building, in order to provide government officials a place to go after the Decepticons were driven out. Despite the amount of heavy firepower, Trypticon was unfazed, and blasted the capitol building to oblivion.

This was the last straw for Optimus. He contacted Autobot City and ordered Ultra Magnus to bring Metroplex.

Metroplex would arrive in no less than five minutes, so in the meantime, Superion, Defensor, and Computron would have to buy time. The three were close in size to Trypticon, so a triple team-up was seen as a credible threat to him. Starscream personally confronted all three teams, and easily defeated them, but did not get the chance to finish them.

Metroplex and Ultra Magnus finally arrived on the scene. The Decepticons took one look at the lumbering robot, and turned tail, routing back to Decepticon City. Starscream proceeded to kill several of the deserters, before running himself. Within minutes, the only Decepticons left in Denver were Galvatron, Trypticon, and a few Seekers.

This turn of events was compounded by the battle between Metroplex and Trypticon, ending in Trypticon's defeat. Galvatron, knowing that the Decepticons had lost, ordered all remaining forces to retreat, but the Seekers were unable to do so, for they had been shot down by the Autobot Air Force.

The casualty figures were not pretty. In addition to countless Mini-Troopers, Cosmos had been killed by Trypticon. But he wasn't the only notable casualty of the battle. Roadbuster, Whirl, Skids, and Seaspray also perished during Trypticon's rampage. They're all headed to my KIA display.

But the Decepticons didn't get off lightly, either. Too many Seekers, Sweeps, Tanks, and Mini-Troopers to count had been killed. But they had succeeded in harvesting enough energon to last a year, and besides, the occupation was never meant to be long-term. If anything, the battle made perfect cover for sending the energon back to Decepticon City.

The grim reality is that the Decepticons were the true winners. We lost several of our boys, and they only lost a bunch of Red Shirts.

They. Will. Pay.

* * *

**April 26, 1986**

Recovery operations in Denver haven't been easy. Without Cosmos, we can't get a good view of the damage from orbit. We've had to resort to having Autobots go up in Sky Lynx with high-resolution cameras.

Fortunately, though, Grapple survived the battle, so he and Huffer have been overseeing the reconstruction of Denver in the same way that San Francisco and the Southern San Joaquin Valley were. Gee, if this keeps up, the entire world might be reconstructed like this…

**May 5, 1986**

* * *

A report came in today that the Decepticons were preparing to invade Cybertron.

…Well, go ahead, Katie! Hope you can part with some of your boys!

* * *

**May 6, 1986**

Sky Lynx and Omega Supreme made an excursion to Cybertron to check on Decepticon activities. They've managed to retake some of their former territory from the gangs, and the prison complexes are overflowing, with mass executions not being able to keep up with prisoner transfers.

They remained in orbit for some time, and returned when they were noticed by the Decepticons and had anti-cruiser batteries turned on them. As they left, a massive explosion rocked Cybertron, followed by a storm of dead Decepticons buffeting them. Somehow, the gangs had turned the tides.

Back on Earth, reconstruction of Denver was completed on May 4, and the Autobots are now building some space cruisers. Optimus Prime has a plan to retake Cybertron, but it'll need a lot of time and resources. Until then, all we can do is keep watch over Autobot City and continue fighting the Decepticons, wherever they may strike next.

* * *

**May 17, 1986**

Mirage managed to get into Decepticon City, and what did he find? Massive artillery pieces with enough range to hit Autobot City! Thanks to some quick-thinking, Mirage downloaded a copy of the plans into his databanks and got out before he was noticed (he made a copy so the Decepticons wouldn't be suspicious).

Returning the information to Optimus Prime, his response was to order the construction of identical artillery pieces using the stolen blueprints. Grapple and Huffer, the golden boys of construction, were put in charge, and Red Alert was put on security detail to ensure no Decepticon spies got wind of the project.

* * *

**June 17, 1986**

ONE MONTH SINCE AN ENTRY, I KNOW! But here me out, because it's kind of a long story.

The Decepticons completed their artillery pieces in their city right around the same time the Autobots completed theirs. The Decepticons opened fire, and were shocked to see us returning fire. Starscream was at a loss for words, so he ordered a retaliatory attack. The order was misinterpreted by Galvatron, though, and he thought Starscream meant return fire with the artillery.

This fortress battle continued for a month, interspersed with actual Decepticon incursions into Autobot City. It was there and then we decided to take things on the road, so Metroplex departed Autobot City with the Aerialbots and Protectobots attached to his contingent. Likewise, the Decepticons dispatched Trypticon with the Stunticons and Combaticons as his contingent.

The two forces met somewhere in the Midwest, near Minneapolis. This battle's main purpose was for me and Katie to test out the interactivity of both cities. Well, I found I could attach the "limb" robots of both teams to Metroplex. This proved very useful when Metroplex was in his mobile base mode, with Air Raid, Fireflight, Slingshot, and Skydive providing extra firepower against Trypticon.

Trypticon, being a dinosaur, can't do this. He had to rely on Menasor and Bruticus just to match them. Then, Metroplex went to city mode and Silverbolt transformed into his base mode, plugging into Metroplex as Scamper, Slammer, and Six-Gun deployed to combat Brunt and Full-Tilt, who deployed from Trypticon after he himself transformed into city mode. Unlike Metroplex, Trypticon has no mobile base mode.

Onslaught linked up with Trypticon to add another turret. Motormaster remained combined with his team, and met Defensor halfway between the dueling cities. The two engaged in a fight that, surprisingly, Menasor ended up winning, a victory that was short-lived when Metroplex hit him in the left shoulder (AKA the back bumper of Dead End).

Menasor uncombined, and Motormaster linked up with Trypticon, becoming a repair bay so Dead End could affect repairs to his back bumper. At the same time, Defensor managed to limp back to Metroplex and uncombined, and Hot Spot plugged into Metroplex to form his repair bay mode. Starting repairs on his fellow Protectobots, the Aerialbot "limb" components unplugged, hovered in place while they righted themselves, and set off to fight the "limb" components of the Stunticons and Combaticons. They were soon joined by the Protectobot "limb" components, digging a trench to gain protection from the enemy.

The Technobots arrived an hour later, and the "limb" components of that team plugged in (yes, they can do that) and began unloading on Trypticon. Scamper, Slammer, and Six-Gun also began relentlessly firing on the Decepticon city, but Brunt and Full-Tilt responded in kind. Scattershot, leader of the Technobots, sent a call to Autobot City to send reinforcements. Onslaught also called for reinforcements, as Metroplex began backing up and putting some distance between himself and Trypticon.

Later in the day, Pipes and Tailgate arrived to rejoin Metroplex, manning their stations. Blaster also arrived with his cassette team. At the same time, though, Soundwave and his cassettes arrived, along with Shockwave and the Constructicons. Blaster deployed all four of his cassettes (Eject, Rewind, Steeljaw, and Ramhorn), while Soundwave deployed all six of his (Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ratbat). The two cassette teams clashed and fought for hours, but eventually, the Autobot cassettes triumphed.

Meanwhile, the Constructicons combined to form Devastator, using Shockwave as his weapon (yes, Katie managed to make a reasonable facsimile of such a sight) and opened fire on the Autobots entrenched around Metroplex. Silverbolt unplugged from the Autobot city and combined with his teammates to form Superion to fight Devastator and Shockwave. The Decepticons actually beat Superion, sending all five components crawling to Hot Spot for repairs.

After besting the Decepticon cassettes, the Autobot cassettes returned to Blaster as he and Soundwave, ever the eternal enemies, fought toe-to-toe. This fight lasted until Soundwave, exhausted from three straight hours of fighting, retreated.

The battle wore on into the evening, when Starscream ordered a retreat via comlink, as the Autobots had them outgunned. The Autobots were about to pursue, but Optimus Prime said no. The Decepticons had had enough for one day.

* * *

**June 21, 1986**

The commercials for the new toys have started appearing. Or rather, they've been on since April and me and Katie haven't noticed until now (we haven't watched Saturday Morning Cartoons for a bit, since the Transformers is currently in re-runs).

The first commercial has Kup, Hot Rod, Blurr, Cyclonus, Scourge, and Rodimus Prime. Voice-wise, I couldn't tell who voiced Scourge or Cyclonus, though I recognized John Stephenson as Kup and Frank Welker as Hot Rod. As for Blurr, we finally found out how he speaks: not only does he run and drive fast, but TALK fast, too! It's John Moschitta Jr., holder of the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Talking Man. He was also in a FedEx commercial in 1981, and is currently starring in commercials for a toyline called Micro Machines (by Galoob) as the "Micro Machines Man". He's an advertiser's dream come true, getting out all the information you need in under a minute. Me and Katie actually have been using Micro Machines as set dressing.

The second features Ultra Magnus, showcasing his ability to transport Autobots, as well as his super mode. Another with Ultra Magnus has Galvatron as well. For the latter, I can tell it was Frank Welker doing a less-gravelly Megatron voice.

The third has Springer and Wreck-Gar. Wreck-Gar was voiced by Frank Welker, who gave him a voice indistinct from Megatron, just with a British accent and using television jargon. His bio DID state he gets his vocabulary from Earth television. So, now we know that Wreck-Gar will have a British accent, so naturally, he'll need a British actor. But who? Any one of the Doctors? A member of Monty Python?

Next up was one featuring Wheelie and the Sharkticons. After seeing that commercial, Katie ran down to Johnson's to buy a few more Gnaw toys to represent multiple Sharkticons. Oh, and Wheelie was voiced by Frank Welker. And all I can say about Wheelie is…ugh…he rhymes. And sounds like that annoying little sh*t Scrappy-Doo! Another character made to pander to the younger fans.

There were other commercials for the other 1986 toys, but I think I've described enough of them.

* * *

**July 4, 1986**

Another Independence Day, another neighborhood potluck. In addition to that, there was also the Firecracker 400 on ABC. Tim Richmond won this race for Hendrick Motorsports.

During the potluck, a demonstration battle was held. The scenario: the Decepticons are attacking the potluck to steal all the food and convert the calories into energon. The Autobots manage to push them back. All of the kids on-hand were entertained, and the adults were impressed by our knowledge of military terminology, sets, and ability to weave epic stories.

Several kids wanted to play with the toys, but we said no. We did, however, take the opportunity to do a plug for Johnson's.

As the potluck was coming to a close, a man with a camera came and asked if he could take pictures of us and the toys. We obliged, and he took multiple pictures.

The first was of me and Katie with the Portland set. I was holding Optimus Prime in robot mode, and Katie was holding Megatron in gun mode, pointing him at me in a playful manner.

The second was a group shot of all of the 1984 Autobots outside the Ark, which the photographer labeled "Ark Crew, circa 1984". There was also a group picture of the 1984 Decepticons outside of Decepticon City, labeled "Nemesis Crew, circa 1984".

The next picture he took was of the 1985 Autobots, labeled "Autobot Refugees, 1985 Group", with a Decepticon counterpart.

Then there was one for the 1986 Autobots, labeled "Autobot Refugees, 1986 Group", again with a Decepticon counterpart.

The photographer moved on to taking pictures of Autobot and Decepticon City, Cybertron, the cities, and industries.

Then we gathered together all of the Autobots and Decepticons killed in the course of the conflict for a group shot of the deceased.

We inquired about his intentions, and he replied that these pictures would be in the next issue of the Marvel comic. Oh, boy! Publicity!

* * *

**July 9, 1986**

It's our 21st birthday today. And you know what that means, right? We can legally gamble and drink! Not that we would, though. Too many Soviet-built casinos are still being shut down in California. The legal process is a nightmare, so I've heard.

Anyway, on our birthday, me, Katie, and Belle headed out for a day excursion to the Sumpter Valley Railroad, where we rode behind steam locomotive #3. It was a fun day, and we came home feeling satisfied. The less said about that night, the better.

* * *

**July 13, 1986**

Optimus Prime's plan to take Cybertron began its first tentative steps today. Cybertron has two moons (which my room will represent) which we will use as a staging ground. It'll take A LOT of energon to pull this off, but put in the time, I'll make Cybertron mine!

* * *

**July 20, 1986**

The beachhead on Cybertron's moons has been successfully set up. We have a weapons factory, spy post, command center, and hangars for space cruisers. Much of the Ark crew occupies Moonbase One, but a few have stayed behind on Earth to look over Autobot City and the Ark. Moonbase Two's complement has Bumblebee, Hornet, Sky Lynx, and several Mini-Troopers.

The Decepticons know we're here, though, but they wouldn't dare destroy these moons due to their purpose as both security checkpoints and energon processing outposts.

Over the next few months, we'll be building up for a full-scale assault.

* * *

**July 28, 1986**

We're getting closer and closer to the movie's release. We're so close, in fact, that the toy commercials are starting to plug it.

On the war front, we're getting closer and closer to the big push on Cybertron. The amount of resources we have is making Starscream nervous, but that's the furthest thing from his mind right now. He knows the threat presented by Metroplex, and Trypticon lost in their first battle. So, he's planning an attack on Autobot City to take out Metroplex and destroy the rest of the city in the process, then move on to the Ark, and then the world. All of this planning is being done from Shockwave's laboratory.

The Decepticons stand ready, but fortunately for us, we've managed to get Mirage down there and have found out their plan. So, we've begun bulking up Autobot City's defenses.

Something I should point out is that Autobot City actually hides a crapload of cannons (all kitbashed from Revell, Gundam, and Macross kits).

* * *

**August 8, 1986**

The movie came out today. Pack it in, everyone, because this is gonna be a long recounting of the movie.

The movie begins with Unicron just floating through space, and then we see a planet inhabited by what appears to be a subset of Cybertronians (we never see them transform, though). Then Unicron literally eats it. AN ENTIRE PLANET! GOBBLED UP! Just like Galactus! Only two of them, Kranix and Arblus (both voiced by Norm Alden) manage to escape

Then we get the opening credits, featuring a kickass rendition of the opening theme by Lion. Here we get the credits for the major players in the movie: Judd Nelson as Hot Rod, Lionel Stander as Kup, Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron, Robert Stack as Ultra Magnus, Eric Idle as Wreck-Gar, and Orson Welles as Unicron, with John Moschitta as Blurr.

OK, so, I already knew about Nelson, Nimoy, Moschitta, and Welles, but WOAH. They spared no expense in the star power! Lionel Stander's in it, as are Robert Stack, who was in a lot of disaster movies in the 70s, and Eric Idle of Monty Python.

So far, so good. Now we come to Cybertron, circa 2005 (20 years after that loathsome episode "B.O.T."). Victor Caroli tells us that the Decepticons have conquered Cybertron, and the Autobots are on its two moons building up for an invasion. That sounds like our wargame! Not only a little, it's THE EXACT SAME! Could it be that the immortality procedure gave me and Katie the ability to predict the future?

We see Laserbeak fly to Moonbase One, where Ironhide is complaining over how much he wants to destroy some Decepticons. He is then sent to Earth on a shuttle with Prowl, Ratchet, and Brawn to pick up the last shipment of energon before they strike. On Moonbase Two are Spike and Bumblebee. Since this is 20 years from now, Spike's an adult, and evidently married, since he asks Ironhide to tell his son, Daniel, he said hi. I wonder who the mother is, as if I didn't know the logical answer.

He doesn't get the chance, though, as the shuttle comes under attack from the Decepticons. More hair metal music (Instruments of Destruction by NRG) starts up, and Brawn runs towards the boarders. Megatron transforms into a gun and is used by Starscream to shoot Brawn clean through the shoulder.

Does Brawn get back up and open fire? No! Because guess what? HE'S DEAD! But here's a good question: HOW IS HE DEAD?! He survived TWO pointblank headshots in the first season episode "Fire on the Mountain" and LIVED. How does a SHOULDER WOUND KILL HIM?!

Then Prowl gets out of his seat and fires, narrowly missing Scavenger, before the latter shoots him. Fiery smoke pours out of his mouth, as he drops to the floor. And he's also dead! Ironhide and Ratchet retaliate, guns akimbo, but they, too, are cut down by the Decepticons. They're dead, as well. Megatron's plan becomes obvious now: the Decepticons are gonna use the shuttle to sneak by the Autobots' early warning defenses to hit Autobot City. Starscream, though, thinks the Autobot Moonbases are the more immediate threat, but just gets called an idiot by Megatron. Ironhide, not quite dead yet, grabs Megatron's legs in a last-ditch effort to stop him, but Megatron utters three words. Just three.

"Such heroic nonsense."

And he blows up Ironhide at POINT-BLANK.

By now, it was starting to make sense. This movie's true purpose is to get rid of the 1984 toys to make room for the 1986 toys, AND promote them, too! That's why they hadn't been restocked at Johnson's for some time! All but a few of them had been discontinued!

The next scene is on Earth, with Hot Rod and Spike's son, Daniel, fishing at a lake. To cheer up Daniel about Spike's absence, he takes him up to Lookout Mountain to watch the Autobot shuttle arrive, crashing through a roadblock on the way up. This roadblock is being set up by Kup, Bluestreak, and Huffer. As you may guess, Kup is PISSED.

Looking at the shuttle, Daniel notices a large hole in the side of the shuttle. This is where the battle begins in earnest, as the Decepticons escape the doomed shuttle (destroyed by Hot Rod).

The Decepticons then begin blitzing the city. Here, we meet Ultra Magnus, Blurr, and Springer (voiced by Neil Ross, who's done several other voices in the cartoon like Hook). But wait, who's that pink one? It's a female Autobot named Arcee (voiced by Susan Blu). I didn't see a toy for her, yet she's one of the main characters in the movie! What gives, Hasbro?! Being sexist again because you think boys will think Arcee is too girly for them?! THAT'S HORSESH*T!

The battle rages on, with a bunch of little moments like Starscream's foot getting trapped in the transforming Autobot City (no Metroplex, sadly) and the Insecticons eating a door.

The communications tower comes under attack by Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, and Ratbat while Blaster is sending an SOS signal to the Moonbases. The four cassettes swarm Perceptor, which is Blaster's cue to deploy Eject, Rewind, Steeljaw, and Ramhorn.

Hot Rod and Kup use Kickback as a springboard to get into the city as the armored doors close. As the battle rages on, we see Springer trying to move an artillery piece into position, as Arcee drags Windcharger in, laying him next to Wheeljack. They're both dead. Two great lives brought to an end. Hot Rod, Kup, and Daniel join them, and the five of them start PUSHING THE ARTILLERY AGAINST ITS RAIL. Oh, and it gets even richer. Devastator is formed, and all of a sudden, he's treated as the ultimate threat.

Uh, hello, movie? What about Menasor and Bruticus? And where are Superion, Defensor, and Omega Supreme? They outclass Devastator! Ah, maybe they're all at the Ark.

So, the battle rages through the night, and by morning, Autobot City now looks more like San Francisco and Denver in our wargame during the mornings of those battles.

Another shuttle arrives. Onboard are Optimus Prime, Hound, Sunstreaker, and the Dinobots. Four of them. Snarl is MIA for some reason. The Dinobots take out Devastator, and then we get one of the movie's most epic sequences: Optimus Prime charges through Decepticons, and has a massive battle with Megatron. Both are badly beat up, and Optimus would have won had Hot Rod not tried to intervene.

The Decepticons retreat aboard Astrotrain, many of their number badly damaged. Starscream, as usual, wants to leave Megatron behind, but Soundwave picks him up and takes him aboard.

The next scene is the one that caused a lot of kids to run out of the theatre crying. Optimus Prime is on a bed, and Perceptor is examining him. Then, he says these words:

"I fear the wounds are fatal".

We are then introduced to a new plot device: the Matrix of Leadership. Optimus passes it on to Ultra Magnus, but he drops it, and Hot Rod just barely managed to catch.

Then, it happens. Optimus turns grey, and flatlines.

Optimus…is dead.

What? I mean…WHAT?! They…they just…

DICK MOVE, HASBRO! DICK. MOVE. YOU JUST TRAUMATIZED A WHOLE LEGION OF KIDS JUST TO SELL TOYS!

_**FUCK YOU!**_

Yes, I know that I just dropped an uncensored f-bomb, but it had to be done.

The passing of the Matrix causes some concern for Unicron. It's explained why later.

Meanwhile, Astrotrain requests that some weight be dropped or he'll never make it to Cybertron. So, Starscream has the other Decepticons dump Megatron, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and the Insecticons overboard. After that's done, Starscream nominates himself as the new leader, but the Constructicons object, and it soon devolves into an all-out brawl amongst all the Decepticons (I assume, though, that Starscream stood back and clocked the guy who won).

Megatron and the now-dead Decepticons encounter Unicron, who strikes a deal with Megatron: the former will rebuild the latter and the other dead 'Cons, in exchange for the destruction of the Matrix of Leadership. It's at this point that clarity set in for me and Katie.

Through an elaborate sequence, Megatron is reformatted as…Galvatron. Thundercracker becomes Scourge, either Skywarp or Bombshell (I'm going with Skywarp, since it would be more logical) becomes Cyclonus, and the rest become the Sweeps. There's also mention of Cyclonus' armada, but that's only in one shot.

Back on Cybertron, Starscream has organized a flamboyant coronation ceremony, complete with him wearing a cape, shoulder pads, and being crowned. The Constructicons play some trumpets a little too much, so Starscream blasts the trumpets in half. Here's a question I have: how can the Constructicons who have mouthplates play those things? Anyway, Starscream is crowned, and is starting a speech when Galvatron and his underlings swoop in.

"Coronation, Starscream? This is bad comedy!"

Starscream recognizes Galvatron as Megatron…seconds before he gets blasted by Galvatron. Does he just fall to the ground and beg for mercy? Nope. He crumbles into ashes. No, seriously. They just offed Starscream. Which creates a MAJOR conundrum, because his toy is still in production!

Unicron arrives at Cybertron and eats both of the moons. Me, Katie, and Belle were QUITE shocked by Spike's potty mouth!

With coercion from Unicron, Galvatron takes the Decepticons to Earth to destroy Ultra Magnus and the Matrix. No one dies in this attack (unless you count the Sweep taken down by Grimlock, but let's face it, those guys are canon Redshirts), but a group of Autobots does get split up. On one ship is Hot Rod, Kup, Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, and Swoop (still no Snarl). On the other is Ultra Magnus, Springer, Arcee, Blurr, Perceptor, and Daniel (Blaster stays behind for some reason, but he's certainly not getting offed because they just introduced four cassettes for him).

Galvatron causes both shuttles to crash on different planets: Hot Rod and Kup's shuttle crashes on Quintessa, while Ultra Magnus' shuttle crashes on some sort of junk planet.

On Quintessa, Hot Rod and Kup are separated from the Dinobots, and the former two are captured by…alligator-looking Cybertronians? What? They bring them to a prison, where we are introduced to a species of biomechanical things called the Quintessons. They're holding a trial for some random robot, and deem him guilty, dropping him into a pit of Sharkticons. Oh, I see! That makes 100% sense! No, really, it does. Certainly explains who Gnaw is. In Hot Rod and Kup's cell is the wreckage of Gundams (no, really), as well as Kranix and Arblus from the beginning of the movie. Apparently, their planet is named Lithone. Arblus is dropped into the Sharkticon pit, as is Kranix…AFTER the latter was deemed not guilty. Now THAT'S a crooked justice system! And to make matters worse, we just witnessed an entire race of robots go EXTINCT.

Meanwhile, the Dinobots meet Wheelie, who's as annoying as I feared. And I have a toy of him HOW? Well, they burst in and rescue Hot Rod and Kup before they themselves are executed, and hijack a Quintesson shuttle. I have a feeling this is only the first we've seen of the Quintessons.

Meanwhile, on the junk planet, Ultra Magnus and his group are attacked by Wreck-Gar and the Junkions. Their entire culture is based around Earth television, as it would happen. For this sequence, we don't get any hair metal. Instead, we get "Dare to be Stupid" by Weird Al Yankovic.

Well, eventually, the Decepticons arrive on the junk planet, seeking the Matrix. The others manage to escape, but Ultra Magnus stays behind and tries to use the Matrix to "light their darkest hour". But it does nothing. This ISN'T their darkest hour, and Ultra Magnus is blasted to pieces. HOLD ON! You just released his toy! He can't be dead yet!

Gaining possession of the Matrix, Galvatron states he will make Unicron his slave.

Eventually, Hot Rod and his group land on the junk planet, and make peace with the Junkions using the universal greeting. And there is much partying as the Junkions join the Autobots. And they even manage to put Ultra Magnus back together. I knew they wouldn't kill of a new toy!

Back at Cybertron, Galvatron tries to use the Matrix against Unicron, but finds that he can't. Unicron responds by…TRANSFORMING INTO A PLANET-SIZED TRANSFORMER OHMYGOD. He eats Galvatron and then begins smashing Cybertron. Shockwave scrambles the Decepticons, but the hordes of generics are no use. Unicron even chomps the Coneheads! Or, maybe it wasn't them. I don't know, there was first season-styled Seeker with Dirge's colors at Autobot City.

Going inside Unicron, Hot Rod faces off with Galvatron and gets the Matrix. And then, it happens. The voice of Optimus Prime says "Arise, Rodimus Prime", and Hot Rod becomes just that.

I knew it, I knew it, I KNEW IT. Rodimus Prime IS Optimus Prime's replacement!

Rodimus uses the Matrix to "light their darkest hour", destroying Unicron and flinging Galvatron into space. He also manages to escape with Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Jazz, and Spike. I knew they wouldn't kill of Bumblebee because his toy is still on the shelves, but Jazz and Cliffjumper? Their toys are discontinued.

Rodimus addresses Ultra Magnus, Springer, Blurr, Arcee, Perceptor, Kup, Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Swoop, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Jazz, Spike, and Daniel, stating that the war is finally over. He finishes by using a phrase said at several points in the movie: "Till all are one". But…that can't be all of the Autobots. Blaster's still on Earth with his tapes, and there were a CRAPLOAD of guys we didn't see. So, if they didn't have onscreen deaths, they're still alive to me (though I swore I saw Gears and Beachcomber in Unicron's acid pit).

Just before the credits, we see that Unicron's head wasn't completely destroyed, and is now orbiting Cybertron in place of the two moons he ate.

The trip from the theatre back home was silent. Not a word was said. What we had just seen…had turned the entire cartoon on its head. We tried to pretend that we had seen a version of the film only meant for internal use, and that theatre got it by mistake, but there was no mistaking it.

Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl, Wheeljack, Windcharger, Brawn, and Starscream are all dead, along with god knows who else. Megatron, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and the Insecticons weren't dead, per se, but had simply become new characters.

But the movie, in and itself, was very good. The music was bitchin', the animation was GORGEOUS (and made by Toei, to boot), and Orson Welles' last performance was haunting. All of the other celebrities were great, too. But I have a feeling none of the celebrity voices will make the move to the TV series, and will be recast.

Rather than head to me and Katie's mansion, we instead went to Johnson's to fill in Mr. Johnson on the movie. Needless to say, it confirmed suspicions he got when almost none of the 1984 Autobots and several 1984 Decepticons were in the shipping cases Hasbro sent over. When we asked why Arcee and Unicron didn't have any toys, Mr. Johnson revealed he was in contact with Hasbro, and they revealed why: Arcee has no toy because "boys will be turned off by her pink color scheme and think of her as a girl's toy", and Unicron's toy actually does have a fully-functional prototype, but production was cancelled because of "cost concerns, flimsy arms, and a faulty voice chip". I can understand Unicron's toy possibly being too expensive, but the reasoning behind Arcee is 100% SEXIST! But really, a voice chip in Unicron's toy? That would've been so cool.

Arriving back at the mansion, we all came to a conclusion: the movie, like all official media, has ZERO sway over the wargame. Everyone who died is still alive, and Scourge and Cyclonus' origins are NOT being retconned. But, we are gonna do our own version of the movie as part of the wargame that will NOT have Prime or 'Screamer dying, or anyone important, for that matter.

* * *

**August 9, 1986**

The time for the assault on Cybertron was nearing. On Moonbase One, anticipation was building, especially within Ironhide. Just one more shipment of energon from Earth was needed, and they'd be all set.

Optimus ordered Ironhide to go to Earth on a shuttle with Prowl, Ratchet, and Brawn. However, knowing the danger that the Decepticons might intercept them, he launched a second, unmanned shuttle as a decoy, and told Ironhide and his crew to take the shipping lane the Decepticons never patrolled.

Sure enough, Starscream did attack, along with Thundercracker, Skywarp, Ramjet, Dirge, Thrust, Soundwave (and his cassettes), Astrotrain, Blitzwing, the Insecticons, and the Constructicons (everyone else was on Earth at Decepticon City awaiting the signal). Starscream found that the shuttle was unmanned, and immediately knew it was a decoy, but found a way to work it to his advantage.

The shuttle arrived at Autobot City, and the Decepticons swarmed out of the shuttle to begin the attack. The rest of the Decepticons from Decepticon City received the signal and departed. The Battle of Autobot City had begun!

Almost immediately, Seekers and Sweeps swarmed the city, held off by the Autobot Air Force. Ultra Magnus began giving orders to those stationed in the city: Springer would transform the city into battle configuration, Blurr would alert all hands, the Aerialbots, Protectobots, Technobots, Tank Squad, and Broadside would form the front defense line, Hubcap would send an SOS signal to the Moonbases, Pipes and Tailgate would get Metroplex up and running, Outback would coordinate the turret defenses, Blaster and his cassettes would engage Soundwave, Swerve would watch the monitors, Inferno would douse any fires in the city, Grapple and Hoist would affect quick repairs, Red Alert would send an alert to all nearby human settlements to shelter-in-place, and everyone else would fight the Decepticons head-on.

The Decepticon Special Teams deployed, combining to form Menasor, Bruticus, Predaking, and Abominus. They were met by Superion, Defensor, and Computron, as well as Omega Supreme. Hot Rod managed to take down the dumb muscle known as Abominus, and also forced Bruticus to retreat.

Multiple Tanks shuddered when they saw Blurr. It was a fool's errand to try and hit him, and he was the fastest shot around.

Arriving at the control room, Springer began pushing buttons and pulling levers, as Autobot City transformed from a Cybertronian city into an intimidating fortress with firepower to spare. The guns all began firing, clearing the skies of many Seekers and Sweeps. The turret fire also sent many Decepticons on the ground behind cover.

Galvatron and some Tanks and Mini-Troopers came out from behind cover, having equipped personal deflector shields, and began slowly pushing towards the city main gate. They were within range, when several sections of the wall opened to reveal hidden turrets. In seconds, the Tanks and Mini-Troopers were shredded, and Galvatron fell back.

Hubcap was sending an SOS signal to the Moonbases, but Starscream noticed this, and Soundwave sent Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, and Ratbat to cut off communications. Blaster's own cassettes, though, intercepted them as Blaster decked Soundwave. The two engaged in a fistfight once more as the fighting began to intensify.

The Insecticons began eating a door, but were shooed off by Pipes. Turrets continued firing off, and explosions rocked the city. The Decepticon Special Teams had overcome Superion and Defensor through superior numbers, and forced Computron to retreat. Omega Supreme, however, wouldn't go down so easily. He stood his ground, and sent Abominus routing.

Eventually, Starscream decided to cut the crap and bust down the wall, so he ordered the Constructicons to "merge for the kill". They formed Devastator, and managed to destroy multiple turrets, as well as hurl a large piece of metal at a rocket launcher. Devastator, though, was not seen as the ultimate threat, as Superion took him down with relative ease. The wall remained intact as a result, but Galvatron changed this and blasted out a large section of the wall with his particle cannon.

This breach threw many Autobots into a panic, and efforts were rallied around the wall. Any Sweeps or Seekers attempting to take advantage of this were met with AA fire, shredding several to scrap metal.

The Decepticons continued the assault into the night. Sideswipe and Grapple launched a flank attack behind Decepticon ranks, and began corralling them into positions where the city's massive guns could kill them.

As the night wore on, many explosions would rock the city. News cameras were trained on the city, as ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN coverage continued commercial-free through the night.

* * *

**August 10, 1986**

The next morning, the fighting had died down. Autobot City was now a smoldering scrapyard, a grisly grave for the Autobots and Decepticons who died in battle.

"Their defenses are broken!" cried Starscream, "LET THE SLAUGHTER COMMENCE!"

He spoke too soon. Preparations by Pipes and Tailgate were complete, and Metroplex came to life. The remaining Decepticons gazed up in fear and alarm. This time, they couldn't possibly hope to call for Trypticon, and all of the Special Teams combined couldn't take him down.

If that wasn't bad enough, a trio of Autobot shuttles had arrived from Cybertron. Optimus Prime was aboard the lead shuttle, along with Hound, Sunstreaker, Mirage, Tracks, Smokescreen, and all five Dinobots. On Optimus' order, the Dinobots disembarked to engage Devastator. Devastator proved a formidable opponent, but all five Dinobots overcame him and sent the Constructicons running.

The second shuttle was the shuttle that had been decoyed, containing Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl, and Brawn. This shuttle landed safely, and all four Autobots charged. Ironhide joined the frontline defensive, Prowl linked up with Bluestreak to begin taking on the secondary elements of the Decepticon task force, Ratchet headed for the triage, and Brawn joined Blaster in fighting Soundwave.

The third shuttle was Sky Lynx, and had Bumblebee and Hornet aboard. The twins got the drop on the Insecticons, Bumblebee ripping off Kickback's head and Hornet punching Bombshell's processor until it ceased working. They then shot at Shrapnel several times, clear through his chest.

With that, all three Insecticons were dead.

Sky Lynx landed at the spaceport and split into his two components, assaulting Predaking and Menasor. The first shuttle landed shortly thereafter, and Optimus stepped down the boarding ramp. Looking at the smoldering ruins of Autobot City, Optimus simply said these words to Sunstreaker and Hound:

"Starscream must be stopped, no matter the cost."

Optimus CHARGED Decepticon ranks, blasting multiple Seekers, and crushing a Sweep to death under his mighty foot.

Optimus then confronted Starscream, and the two engaged in an epic battle, trading blows and laser bolts left and right. Both were disarmed and battered in the course of the fight. Eventually, Starscream was down on one knee, and begged for mercy.

"You, who are without mercy, now plead for it? I thought you were made of _**sterner stuff**_."

But before Optimus could fire the finishing shot, Galvatron decked him, and began punching him repeatedly. This allowed Starscream to get a shot off on Optimus, but the latter mustered enough strength to throw Galvatron right at Starscream. Optimus then picked up his ion blaster, and ordered the Decepticons to leave Earth and never return.

Starscream ordered a full Decepticon retreat to Decepticon territory on Cybertron. Once everyone was aboard Astrotrain, they departed.

There was no time to cheer for their victory, though. Optimus Prime, fortunately, had only sustained cosmetic damage, but that paled in comparison to the casualties.

Among the dead were Gears, Trailbreaker, Inferno, Camshaft, Downshift, Overdrive, Smokescreen, and every Mini-Trooper in the city. The injured were Sideswipe, Perceptor, Brawn, Jetfire, Groove, Swerve, Outback, Windcharger, and Wheeljack. The injured will live.

The battle was more of a disaster for the Decepticons, though. Too much energy had been expended, and no energon was harvested at all.

The Decepticon casualties were Shrapnel, Kickback, Bombshell, Laserbeak, and too many Seekers, Sweeps, and Tanks to count. Sunstorm and Acid Storm had also been captured and reprogrammed back to the Decepticons, which was a loss to our espionage efforts. The injured, aside from Starscream and Galvatron, were Thundercracker, Cyclonus, Soundwave, Frenzy, Blitzwing, and Octane. They will live.

Me and Katie took a power nap afterwards, and then began tending to the wounded, as well as the damage to Autobot City. The death of Inferno had removed much of our firefighting capabilities, but fortunately, Hot Spot and Blades managed to pick up the slack.

Optimus Prime emerged from the repair bay, good as new, as did the injured. A memorial service for the dead was held, and Mirage was sent to investigate Decepticon City.

He arrived aboard Jetfire several hours later to find the city almost bereft of any Decepticons. The only ones still left were a few tanks, who, without Starscream, were drained and confused, and easily gunned down. During their investigation, Mirage and Jetfire noticed something very disquieting: Trypticon wasn't at his normal location in the center of the city! This was when a call came from Autobot City: Trypticon was attacking Chicago!

Metroplex and Omega Supreme departed immediately and, after a brief engagement, sent Trypticon back to his normal in Decepticon City as the only Decepticon remaining in the city.

With no Unicron toy, we went with another option. We took some cardboard, and fashioned Unicron's planet mode out of it, with the ability to transform, even. How will we do this, you ask? Why, it's a costume. And I'll be wearing it. Which means I SHALL BECOME UNICRON HIMSELF.

* * *

**August 11, 1986**

The next day, Grapple, Hoist, and Huffer began repairs to Autobot City. The dead had been sealed in a tomb near the Ark (really, we put them in an air-sealed bag and buried them in a shoebox), while the injured were up and walking again.

Meanwhile, Astrotrain ordered some "dead weight" be dumped. Starscream was going to dump some Mini-Soldiers, Tanks, and Seekers, but he never got the chance. Instead, HE HIMSELF WAS DUMPED OUT, along with Galvatron, Scourge, Cyclonus, and Shockwave in a mutiny initiated by Octane. There wasn't any clear motive, but everyone knows that Octane is an asshole.

The five Decepticons drifted in space for some time, before encountering…something. It was a giant, talking planet.

"I AM UNICRON" he boomed.

Unicron had summoned Starscream for a purpose: he has foreseen that he will be destroyed by the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. He wanted it destroyed, and in return, he would resurrect all of the Decepticons killed over the last two years. Starscream was initially resistant, but accepted after Unicron started sucking him in to eat him and the others.

So, Starscream, Galvatron, Scourge, Cyclonus, and Shockwave were repaired and given a massive boost in power. And in a flash of light, all of the Decepticons slain during the past two years of the war were back. They were all here: Kickback, Shrapnel, Bombshell, Ransack, Chop Shop, Barrage, Venom, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Reflector.

The final casualty presented a conundrum, as Megatron technically wasn't dead; he was Galvatron. So, what Unicron did was create a copy of Megatron, and then copy Galvatron's mind into it, so the two could co-exist at the same time. A brief discussion reaffirmed Megatron's position: Starscream would remain leader. Unicron warned, though, that they belonged to him now, and they were to serve his will.

But before they could set off to destroy the Matrix, Starscream had…other business to attend to.

On Cybertron, in Decepticon territory, the sight of smoke, fire, lasers, and missiles couldn't dampen Octane's spirits. For he had organized a flamboyant coronation ceremony. Horns blared in fanfare, and Astrotrain crowned him as leader of the Decepticons.

"My fellow Decepticons" the cocksure leader began, "as your new leader, I-"

He was interrupted by ships swooping in and landing.

"WHO DISRUPTS MY CORONATION?!" cried Octane.

"Coronation, Octane? This is bad comedy!"

"Starscream? Is that you?!"

"Here's a hint!"

Starscream raised both of his null-rays and fired. The new leader of the Decepticons stumbled back at first, then was thrown to the ground by the force of the explosion as the null-ray connected and blasted right through him, leaving a gaping hole in his chest as the light left his eyes.

Starscream then ordered Shockwave to reconstruct Octane and reprogram him with unquestionable loyalty. Starscream then took it upon himself to destroy the crown and other royal garb that Octane had been wearing several seconds ago.

Setting off to destroy the Matrix (after being coerced by Unicron), the Decepticons returned to Autobot City to find and kill Optimus Prime. The city was still being repaired after the Battle of Autobot City, so needless to say, the Autobots had no choice but to flee. Optimus decided they would have to go aboard two separate shuttles, and rendezvous at Moonbase One.

The first shuttle had Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet, Wheeljack, Springer, Blurr, and Perceptor, while the second shuttle had Bumblebee, Hornet, Brawn, Hot Rod, Kup, and all five Dinobots. The rest of the Autobots stayed behind (except Jazz and Cliffjumper, who were stationed at Moonbase One) to defend against any further Decepticon attacks.

Starscream, Megatron, Scourge, Cyclonus, Thundercracker, Skywarp, the Insecticons (both varieties), the Constructicons, and all of the Sweeps pursued the shuttle, while the remaining Decepticons stayed behind and returned to Decepticon City.

Optimus' plan soon went awry when Starscream's star cruiser knocked them both off-course. They were separated and landed on different celestial bodies. Starscream assumed both shuttles were destroyed, and returned to Cybertron.

Unicron, meanwhile, arrived in the vicinity of Cybertron and proceeded to eat both moons. Jazz and Cliffjumper just barely escaped with several Mini-Troopers, and landed on Cybertron.

Right in Malignus territory.

Starscream returned to Unicron to inform him that the Matrix had been destroyed. But Unicron began torturing him, and stated that the Matrix was still intact. He pointed the Decepticons to their destination: a planet made completely out of junk.

The first shuttle indeed landed on the junk planet. Here, Optimus Prime and his crew were met by a robot named Wreck-Gar. According to him, many millions of years ago, he and a group of neutral Cybertronians escaped Cybertron, but were pursued by the Decepticons simply for refusing to take sides. Their shuttle crashed on a mass of junk created by a gravity well generator. Over the next few millennia, his family and friends slowly died of energy deficiencies. He himself has only been able to survive by cannibalizing parts from the others. Now the Junkions number only a handful, and he is their leader.

Just before Optimus could ask about shelter, the Decepticons attacked. He told the others to get to safety while he held the Decepticons off.

"'Till all are one."

Cut off from the others now, Optimus held his ground, firing his ion blaster in defiance of Starscream's demand that he surrender the Matrix of Leadership; he would die either way. Despite shooting down several Sweeps, he was overwhelmed, picked up by Devastator, and thrown to the ground, where Starscream shot him at point-blank, blasting him to pieces. The Matrix remained intact, and Starscream picked it up.

"Unicron, with this, I shall make you my slave."

Meanwhile, the second shuttle had crash-landed on another planet. Trying to find a ship to get off-planet, Hot Rod and Kup were separated from the others and captured by the Quintessons. Bumblebee, Hornet, and the Dinobots, on the other hand, met a young Cybertronian named Wheelie, the last survivor of a spaceliner crash several years before the Great War began. A survivalist, Wheelie was hardened by millions of years of living in the wilderness of Quintessa, even having to resort to cannibalizing parts and energy from his own parents. He sees no joy in life, and knows in his processor that it was the Decepticons who caused the liner to crash.

Having heard enough, Bumblebee and his group arrived just in time to stop the Quintessons from dropping Hot Rod and Kup into a pit of Sharkticons. The Sharkticons themselves, meanwhile, rebelled and stole a starship…to join the Decepticons.

Hijacking another starship, Hot Rod and his group departed for the junk planet. When they arrived, they learned that Optimus Prime had been killed by the Decepticons, and the Matrix stolen by Starscream. Fortunately, though, the Junkions managed to put Optimus back together. Despite no longer having the Matrix within him, he still felt its power.

Before they could take their leave, the Autobots were attacked once more by the Decepticons. None of the Autobots were hurt…but Wreck-Gar's family and friends were slain. Now desiring revenge, Wreck-Gar wasted no time joining the Autobots.

Back on Cybertron, Jazz and Cliffjumper were being held hostage by the Malignus, who interrogated them for information. When the two Autobots pointed out Unicron, the leader of the Malignus (Windcharger's estranged cousin Camaro) convened a meeting with the other gang leaders, who all agreed that Unicron was a bigger threat, and that their insipid squabbles were meaningless. Henceforth, a peace treaty was signed, and they all became Autobots.

Starscream returned with the Matrix, and stated his intent to enslave Unicron and use him to destroy Earth.

"You underestimate me."

And Unicron revealed that he wasn't just a giant planet, he was a giant TRANSFORMER. Who proceeded to swallow Starscream.

All of the Autobots on Cybertron's surface opened fire on Unicron, but it was no use. The beast was invincible. Unicron responded by slamming his palmed hand down on Cybertron, grabbing a huge chunk and eating it.

The Autobot ship arrived soon thereafter, crashing straight into Unicron's eye. As Optimus and the other began rescuing those who had not escaped the Moonbases, Hot Rod pursued Starscream into the bowels of Unicron.

The two 'bots engaged in a heated battle, and eventually, Hot Rod managed to wrest control of the Matrix from Starscream. The Matrix glowed, and beckoned Hot Rod to use its power to light their darkest hour. He opened it, destroying Unicron and flinging Starscream into deep space.

All of the Autobots within Unicron managed to escape, and Cybertron was safe. When they next saw Hot Rod, they were in for a shock. He was no longer Hot Rod, but Rodimus Prime.

Optimus was confused, and he ran to Alpha Trion to seek answers. Alpha Trion revealed to Optimus that the Matrix's essence was eternally bound to his spark. In other words, he no longer needed the Matrix to lead. Initially taken aback, Optimus realized the advantages this could have.

Appearing before the Autobots, and broadcasting to Earth, Optimus Prime and Rodimus Prime addressed the crowd. Optimus announced that while the war was far from over, Cybertron had finally been liberated from Decepticon control. The gang wars had also come to an end, and they marched on to an era of prosperity. Though Cybertron still lay barren and lifeless, the governments of Earth were now in full cooperation with the Autobots to recharge the planet.

Alpha Trion walked up shortly thereafter, and told Optimus Prime that Vector Sigma had done something…incredible. Optimus turned, and saw that all of the casualties of the past two years had been resurrected. They were all here: Gears, Trailbreaker, Cosmos, Beachcomber, Seaspray, Tracks, Inferno, Camshaft, Downshift, Overdrive, Topspin, Twin Twist, Roadbuster, Whirl, and all three Powerdashers. It was a miracle that no one could anticipate.

Optimus soon thereafter departed Cybertron with all of the Ark crew members and 1985 refugee group members. Rodimus Prime will stay on Cybertron with Springer, Blurr, Kup, Wheelie, Wreck-Gar, Topspin, Twin Twist, Sky Lynx, and a large contingent of Mini-Troopers to ensure the Decepticons can't attack both Earth and Cybertron simultaneously and cause too much consternation.

But there was still one reminder of the conflict that had just taken place. In orbit around Cybertron was the head of Unicron, a grisly reminder of the moons he had eaten.

Needless to say, the Autobots were hit with a major morale boost, while the Decepticons were left drained and confused. Starscream had managed to right himself and return with the others to Earth, but with Cybertron out of their hands, many felt the war was lost. But they were still in possession of Decepticon City and twelve other star systems, so in all reality, the Decepticons actually owned more territory than the Autobots.

* * *

**September 15, 1986**

The cartoon's third season began today. Called "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1", the episode features the return of the Quintessons from the movie.

Unfortunately, this episode has one flaw: AKOM ANIMATED IT! I mean, it's so poorly animated, with substandard artwork, coloring errors, technical glitches, oh, and Jazz is named Munka Spanka for no goddamn reason!

And, as I expected, almost none of the actors from the movie returned. Judd Nelson was replaced by Dick Gautier, Robert Stack by Jack Angel (who was already voicing Astrotrain, Omega Supreme, among others), and Lionel Stander was replaced by John Stephenson (already voicing quite a few characters). Don't know who replaced Leonard Nimoy and Eric Idle, though, but John Moschitta stayed on as Blurr, and Susan Blu as Arcee.

Well, anyway, the episode starts with stock footage from the movie, which clashes with AKOM's crap (to AKOM's credit, though, the animation IS quite a bit more fluid than Toei episodes). Needless to say, this episode put to rest any debate of who is Daniel's mother. As me and Katie suspected, it is indeed Carly.

We also got confirmation that Warpath survived the movie. I wouldn't doubt it, seeing as how his toy is still available. We were also introduced to Outback, who does indeed have an Australian accent.

On the planet Chaar (the new Decepticon homeworld), there were FOUR generic Seekers, three first season-styled (one all-grey, one in Onslaught's colors, and one in Silverbolt's colors) and one Conehead. So, we finally repainted the three remaining undecorated Seekers from two years ago, and Katie ran out really quick to buy another Ramjet to be repainted.

Well, if the episode's name had "Part 1" in it, that means there's gonna be another part. Tomorrow.

* * *

**September 16, 1986**

"Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2" aired today, and we finally found out who replaced Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron. It's Frank Welker, Megatron's voice, and he eliminated all the rasp from his voice. It fits Galvatron's new personality, for you see, he has been soaking in plasma for so long (apparently, season three takes place a year after the movie), that his logic circuits have become brittle, making him batshit insane.

Also, the Quintessons are obsessed enough with destroying the Matrix of Leadership that they blew up Quintessa, their homeworld. Yikes.

On the wargame front, the Decepticons have regrouped at Decepticon City, and are now using space bridges in the other star systems they control to bring energon to Earth. So far, four planets have been bled dry of energy, resulting in the hollowed-out husks breaking apart. They've also begun draining energy from the stars of the systems, but not enough to make them go supernova (Shockwave's advice).

* * *

**September 17, 1986**

Part three of "Five Faces of Darkness" aired today. In this episode, the Quintessons have become so desperate to destroy the Autobots, they make a deal with the Decepticons. Galvatron, the insane fool he is, accepts.

Among this episode's other problems were scientific inaccuracies. For example, Jupiter is the wrong color and has a ring bade of scrap metal instead of ice. I mean, come on, people! Voyager 1 flew by it in 1979! THAT WAS SEVEN YEARS AGO! It's as if AKOM just doesn't care!

Meanwhile, on the wargame front, the Decepticons attacked a power plant. A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT. And it's Three Mile Island! Knowing them, their plan is to cause an explosion and harness the energy from the explosion. We can't let that happen, so that's why the Special Teams have dispatched, along with Blaster, taking Rewind and Eject with him.

On the inside, Rumble and Frenzy planted charges at strategic locations to maximize the explosion size. This was where Eject and Rewind came in. They entered the Three Mile Island complex discreetly and engaged the two Decepticons. It was a long and drawn-out firefight, but eventually, Rumble and Frenzy were driven off and back to Soundwave, who was fighting with Blaster again.

Superion, Defensor, and Computron arrived on the scene to engage Menasor, Bruticus, and Predaking (the Constructicons and Terrorcons had prior engagements). They fought for a good hour or so, before Soundwave did something we couldn't believe.

HE DETONATED THE CHARGES.

Fortunately, the Autobots were able to withstand the explosion (Eject and Rewind had taken shelter in Blaster), but Londonderry Township, Goldsboro, Middletown, and much of Dauphin County were wiped off the map. Deadly radiation was spreading throughout the Eastern Seaboard, necessitating immediate, mandatory evacuations and shelter-in-place orders. Ronald Reagan declared a national state of emergency and lowered the DEFCON level to 1, for the first time since World War III.

When news reached Autobot City, this was it. The last straw. THE VERY. LAST. STRAW. Optimus Prime gave the order for a full-scale assault on Decepticon City.

* * *

**September 18, 1986**

Next up, "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4". Wow, four parts? What are the odds? Of course, I'm talking sarcastically. There'll be a fifth part tomorrow, according to TV Guide.

The highlight of this episode is definitely the scene where Rodimus Prime goes into the Matrix to learn the truth about the Quintessons, and the origins of the Transformers. As it turns out, the Quintessons CREATED the Transformers. Woah.

So Rodimus basically goes through the history of the Transformers and the leaders of the Autobots. Even Optimus Prime! Hey, Primey!

I must say, the history of the Transformers shown in this episode meshes pretty well with the history seen in "Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2". And we even get to see the creation of Megatron. In the latter scene, though, me and Katie noticed there were at least EIGHT Constructicons, not six. Also, it creates a massive continuity error, because it shows the Constructicons creating Megatron, but "The Secret of Omega Supreme" shows that they were forcibly reprogrammed by Megatron. What. The. Hell.

Ugh…I need a drink.

Man, I really needed that, especially when Trypticon debuted. How does he come into being? The Constructicons just create him from a section of a human city.

WHAT. I MEAN, WHAT.

They built him overnight with NO ONE NOTICING. OH MY GOD.

*Sigh* They just stopped caring. Like, really, they just stopped caring. The part with Rodimus going through the history of the Transformers is the only thing that stops this episode from being bad (not "B.O.T."-bad, mind you).

Meanwhile, on the wargame front, the Autobots decided that cleaning up the fallout from the destruction of Three Mile Island was more important than some emotion-fueled rage against Starscream. We had been doing so since September 3, and making good progress. The "Construction Team" (as Grapple, Hoist, and Huffer have come to be known as) are rebuilding the immediately-affected area the same way as all the other places affected by Decepticons (IE San Francisco).

* * *

**September 19, 1986**

The final part of "Five Faces of Darkness" sees Earth and Cybertron under joint Decepticon-Quintesson assault, to which the Autobots raise a last stand. This episode wraps up the whole mini-series nicely, and gives us the debut of Metroplex, and his first battle with Trypticon.

And the continuity errors and AKOM-related crap just keep rolling along.

Not much to say on the wargame front today, just that reconstruction of Dauphin County continues.

* * *

**September 29, 1986**

The war hasn't really been going on. Starscream's off in other star systems, and the Autobots have been rebuilding Dauphin County, which was completed last night (thanks once again to the model-making club). That, and me and Katie have become obsessed with _Super Mario Bros._ We'll beat the evil Koopa just yet!

Today, the third season of the cartoon resumed with an episode called "The Killing Jar". And quite mercifully for my sanity, AKOM didn't animate it, Toei did. In this episode, Ultra Magnus, Wreck-Gar, Cyclonus, and a woman named Marissa Faireborn are captured by the Quintessons for experiments, but get sucked into a black hole. This was a pretty nice episode overall, definitely better than the mini-series.

* * *

**September 30, 1986**

Still nothing to report on the wargame front. The Decepticons are quiet. Too quiet.

Anyway, today's episode was called "Chaos", and OH MY GOD, THE ANIMATION WAS GORGEOUS. Toei did an excellent job. The characters were consistently drawn and colored, generally well proportioned and on-model, and they stayed in the correct relative positions between shots. There were still some errors, but they were few and far between. And Blurr even had the blurred visual trail effect from the movie. Not to mention the episode was really well-written.

* * *

**October 1, 1986**

First day of October, man, and first time in like, weeks, the Decepticons have done something. What did they do? Try to sell weapons to the Russians so they could "get their revenge". We put an immediate stop to that, because with Decepticon weaponry, the Russians would be unstoppable and certainly succeed in rebuilding the USSR.

Today's cartoon episode was an AKOM episode. This time I don't mind, because "Dark Awakening" was really well-written. The plot, in a nutshell, goes like this: "Optimus Prime is revived as a zombie by the Quintessons". Yup. Optimus Prime is back, but not for long.

The main setting of this episode of the Autobot Mausoleum, where all of the casualties of the movie went. Among the dead are Ironhide, Prowl, Ratchet, and Huffer. OK, so Huffer didn't make it. But wait! Brawn wasn't mentioned, so he must be alive! I KNEW a shot to the shoulder wouldn't be enough to kill him!

Well, Prime doesn't come back permanently, sacrificing himself to diffuse the Quintesson trap. But I don't mind, because this episode was just so well-written.

* * *

**October 2, 1986**

We continue to diffuse the Decepticon gun trafficking ring in Russia. In fact, they've set up gun trafficking in many African nations, the Middle East, and South America.

As for the cartoon, today's episode featured the return of Starscream as a ghost. So THAT'S why his toy is still out. This is another AKOM episode, but like "Dark Awakening", has such good writing I quickly forgot their gross negligence. Octane and Sandstorm both make their debuts in this episode, their personalities matching up well to our wargame. And yes, Starscream is still a jerk, now desiring revenge against Galvatron. In fact, all that's left of him are his legs, like in the movie.

Overall, a pretty good episode, and a nice return from Starscream.

* * *

**October 6, 1986**

The Decepticons have expanded their illicit operations. Now, they've started drug trafficking in other star systems, in addition to gun-running. What, are they becoming a gang? Or are they desperate for finances? Probably the latter.

As for today's episode, "Thief in the Night", I don't think I've ever been as offended with a Transformers episode as I was with this one. There are WAY too many negative Middle Eastern stereotypes. I mean, for crying out loud, it takes place in a fictional country called Carbombya. CARBOMBYA. Not all Middle Eastern peoples are like that, you know! I honestly don't blame Casey Kasem for quitting the show over this (heard it from Mr. Johnson, BTW). And I can't help but feel this was aired out-of-order, because Galvatron has it out for Octane, and in the previous episode, he was fired. Oh well, at least we got to see Metroplex and Trypticon have it out again. Even then, though, the credibility of this episode is strained because the plot revolves around Trypticon stealing monuments around the world in the most cartoonish way possible. I mean, I know this show is for kids, and is a 30-minute toy commercial, but COME ON! Kids are smarter than the writers think!

* * *

**October 14, 1986**

The Autobot Crime Patrol was formed today. Comprised of Prowl, Red Alert, Tracks, and Skids (I would have include Streetwise and Groove, but I need them to be on-station at all times in case Defensor is needed), they are an interstellar team whose main goal is to uncover and take down the Decepticon crime rings. Their first task was on the planet Kolthar, where they were involved in a shootout with Runamuck and Runabout. Nobody was killed, but the whole drug-smuggling ring was dismantled. At this point, we suspect Swindle is behind this whole ring, since this is definitely something he would do.

Aaaand getting right to the cartoon we have one of the WORST EPISODES EVER ("Carnage in C-Minor). Not "B.O.T." bad, because the plot was decent and unique and finally gave Soundwave some spotlight after sometime, but because of the ALL THE F*CKING ANIMATION ERRORS! AKOM DOESN'T EVEN CARE ANYMORE!

Let's start with the most glaring error: Bonecrusher fighting alongside…Huffer and Brawn. OK, WHAT?! Why is Bonecrusher, a Decepticon, fighting alongside two Autobots, WHO ARE BOTH SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD?! I mean, I guess Brawn's appearance here is plausible, because of my doubts that a shoulder wound would kill him, but they clearly said Huffer died.

I could be here ALL. THE. DAMN. DAY. LISTING ALL OF THE ERRORS IN THIS EPISODE.

* * *

**October 15, 1986**

Today, the Crime Patrol went to Paradron to bust a drug ring specializing in exotic alien narcotics. The ring, run by a bunch of Seekers, was brought to an end when everyone involved with the ring was killed in a shootout. So far, so good for the Crime Patrol.

Today's cartoon episode, "Fight or Flee", was overall, much better than "Carnage in C-Minor". The writing was a lot better, and to boot, Toei animated it. Though I can't help but think this episode was aired WAAAAYYYY out of order, because it served as Sandstorm's introduction…even though he first appeared in "Starscream's Ghost".

Well, anyway, the plot involves the Decepticons conquering a planet of pacifist Autobots. The planet in question just happens to be called Paradron, like in today's wargame scenario. OK, what the H, do me and Katie have premonition abilities stemming from the immortality process?

The episode ends with Paradron's destruction, Sandstorm mourning, and Rodimus providing ZERO reassurance. And THIS is why Optimus Prime is superior, people!

* * *

**October 20, 1986**

These past few days, the Crime Patrol has really been doing its job, and the galaxy is becoming better for it. We still haven't caught whoever is behind this, but we do have several leads, none of which seem to match Swindle's description. Of course he wouldn't leave such a paper trail…

Meanwhile, in the cartoon, the new episode is called "Webworld", the most Decepticon-centric episode ever. I really enjoyed this episode, not only because it was well-animated (yup, it's Toei again), but really well-written. The plot involves the Decepticons rebelling against Galvatron after his insanity causes the Autobots to get away. So, they send him to Torkulon, a medical planet, where he undergoes psychiatric therapy. This isn't a plot done very often in cartoons, and to do it as realistically as it was done here is worthy of praise.

* * *

**October 21, 1986**

Today's episode was called "Ghost in the Machine". I didn't mind that AKOM animated it, because it was yet another well-written episode (a pattern I'm noticing in season three is uptick in writing quality). Starscream's ghost returned, and made a deal with Unicron (whose head has landed on Cybertron): in exchange for three labors: Metroplex's eyes, Trypticon's transformation cog, and connect his body to Cybertron. Woah, man. Unicron really wants to use Cybertron as his new body? Jesus.

Well, before that, Unicron resurrects Starscream, but being Starscream, he tells Unicron to "do it himself". The Autobots, though, show up and blow Unicron's head sky high, also sending Starscream tumbling through space, possibly never to be seen again. But, I hope we do…

* * *

**October 30, 1986**

The Crime Patrol has mostly stomped out the Decepticon crime rings. To our surprise, Starscream actually contacted us and said he did not authorize the crime rings. Like, at all. Then, another call came in: the Galactic Depository had been robbed! Starscream volunteered to come along and put an end to the rogue Decepticons.

Arriving at the Depository, they found the robbers still there. And lo and behold, it wasn't Swindle. It was ALL FIVE STUNTICONS. Motormaster claimed to be doing it for the Decepticon cause, but Starscream wouldn't have it. He shot all five, knocking them offline (but not dead), and loaded them aboard Astrotrain to do god-knows-what to them.

The Decepticon crime wave is over, thank god.

Today's episode was really, really good, in both the writing and animation. I mean, Toei made some really gorgeous animation in this episode, named "The Dweller in the Depths".

* * *

**October 31, 1986**

The Crime Patrol was dissolved with the end of the Stunticons' trafficking ring, and all members have returned to their normal stations. Meanwhile, preliminary preparations for the attack on Decepticons City have begun. Already, Mirage has conducted three espionage missons, evading detection on all of them. These missions are mainly to assess Decepticon preparedness, resources, troop count, defenses, and weaponry.

The reports are unsettling. Seekers, Sweeps, and Tanks are on 24/7 watch, with regular aerial patrols every hour, on the hour. The conquered star systems have been providing the Decepticons with enough energon to hold out for months, in addition to the energon they obtained when Three-Mile Island was destroyed. They have more troops than we believed, as Katie bought five more Brawls yesterday from Johnson's. Defenses consist of massive turrets on-par with those of Autobot City's, plus large sections of the wall that drop down to reveal even more turrets that will shred any and all ground forces, plus "smart mines" that detonate if an Autobot steps on it (and the opposite if a Decepticon steps on it) and a complement of anti-air flak cannons, SAM sites with heatseeking missiles, turbolaser cannons, cruise missiles, and some rather bizarre weaponry, such as flamethrowers, acid sprayers, steel mulchers, and...cosmic rust sprayers.

This is NOT gonna be easy. In fact, it's gonna be REALLY, REALLY HARD to pull off. In fact, planning will take so much time, we're better off waiting for the 1987 assortment. I just know Hasbro has something really cool lined up for 1987. I can feel it...

Meanwhile, on the cartoon front, today's episode was called "Nightmare Planet", and to my relief, it was animated by Toei. The art style, though, kept shifting. One minute, it was the standard Toei fare, the next it was that gorgeous style from the movie, and a few shots drew the characters as if they were anime-style. The plot about dream creatures was intriguing, and the scene with Springer riding Razorclaw as a steed was priceless.

* * *

**November 1, 1986**

The cartoon is back on hiatus, it seems, so we're focusing on the wargame right now.

Cosmos did an overflight of Decepticon City to scan for anything that Mirage may not have picked up. The results struck fear into the hearts of several Autobots.

Decepticon City, as scans revealed, had several parts of the city that hid missile silos. These Cybertronian ICBMs had a disquieting payload: anti-matter warheads. One anti-matter missile would be enough to not only destroy New York, but leave a massive crater and give no indication that it ever existed, as all matter in the area would be vaporized. These missiles had a limitless range, meaning the Decepticons could strike any part of the globe in minutes, and could even reach Cybertron, which by this point had become the tenth planet of the solar system (which technically makes them Interplanetary Ballistic Missiles).

A second flyover on the next orbit involved a second scan, revealing further information about the missiles. There ten silos, each with a missile carrying a MIRV that held 12 warheads. This meant there were 120 warheads, more than enough to hit every single population center on Earth. While San Francisco, Denver, the Southern San Joaquin Valley, and Dauphin County would likely survive thanks to beefy defense systems that include a shield, every other major city on Earth would be wiped out, and along with it roughly 90% of the human race.

When these scans came in, the team receiving the data (led by Jazz and made up of Prowl, Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Mirage) fell silent. This was broken when Wheeljack...sprang an oil leak, if you know what I mean. When Optimus Prime received word, he just stared, for a minute or two. Then he uttered the fated words:

"We must respond in kind. Contact Rodimus Prime. That is all."

Everyone present knew what he meant.

The Autobots were building their own anti-matter missiles.

* * *

**November 2, 1986**

Hubcap established contact with Rodimus Prime, and Optimus Prime briefed him on the situation. Cybertron was still experiencing energy deficiencies, but the anti-matter reserves were at an all-time high, thanks to the Decepticons' draining of stars producing over 80 gamma ray bursts on a daily basis, as well as increased cosmic ray activity. Assembly lines were immediately set up to start producing the warheads, based on the American W84 warhead. Missiles were already being produced on a daily basis, and were immediately adapted for use with anti-matter warheads.

Meanwhile, at Autobot City, the Construction Team (Grapple, Hoist, and Huffer) began building the silos, as well as a building for erecting the missiles once Sky Lynx brought the components to Earth. Mirage went on another espionage mission to Decepticon City to get a look at the silos, and relayed many pictures back to Teletraan 1. The pictures revealed that the missiles were based on the old Soviet R-7 missile, which just happens to be world's first ICBM. Meanwhile, our missiles are based on the more modern LGM-30 Minuteman (yes, they're all model rockets we built ourselves), with M-80s as the warheads' basis.

Later in the day, Laserbeak made an overflight of Autobot City and discovered the missiles and silos (the first shipment had arrived from Cybertron at approx. 1:30 PM local time). This information was...unsettling for the Decepticons, to say the least. Starscream, in particular, was the most concerned, as the Autobots had obviously found out about their anti-matter missiles, and the strategy of deterrence had been put into place. An anti-matter exchange, Shockwave hypothesized, would unleashed enough explosive energy and anti-matter to completely destabilize the planet's seismic faultlines, ultimately causing it to break apart in several massive chunks.

Starscream then began rethinking the wisdom of even having anti-matter missiles on hand. He had only intended to use them to destroy cities and then harness the energy from the explosions as energon. But if the Autobots had an equal response, the danger of losing their central command (Decepticon City) was there, as was the threat of mutual assured destruction (MAD), a concept that all Cybertronians knew too well when the energy crisis in the waning days of the Cybertron Phase of the war affected everyone.

Henceforth, Starscream contacted the Autobots and proposed a treaty banning anti-matter weaponry from being used. Optimus Prime, always acting in the best interests of the planet and the entire Cybertronian race, readily accepted.

* * *

**November 3, 1986**

The Anti-Matter Treaty was signed today by Optimus Prime and Starscream. Under the treaty, anti-matter weaponry is officially banned from being used due to the threat of mutual assured destruction. A provision of the treaty allows all anti-matter weaponry to be used as a last-resort defense mechanism against hostile non-Cybertronians, but only on Cybertron.

Several hours later, though, it was back to the war, as the Decepticons attacked an offshore platform. Seaspray and Broadside were immediately on the scene. Broadside carried on his deck the Autobot Air Force and the Aerialbots, all ready to sortie. And boy, were they needed, as the attack had been led by Cyclonus and Scourge, and they brought plenty of Seekers and Sweeps.

The battle was mainly a large dogfight, ending when Cyclonus and Scourge, using the battle as a distraction, managed to meet their energon quota, before ordering a full retreat of all surviving forces.

So, chalk this up as a win for the Decepticons...

* * *

**November 10, 1986**

These past few days, the Decepticons seem to be back to their old ways, constructing energon refineries and attacking industries, power plants, oil refineries, and military installations. Ah, now that's more like it!

The only problem is that the war is starting to spill over into Mexico and Canada (courtesy of the model-making club). That, and the Decepticons seem to be a bit too eager for energy. We have no idea what the cause of their sudden energy deficiency is, seeing as how they control twelve other star systems.

Meanwhile, the cartoon came off hiatus with "The Ultimate Weapon". Despite a lot of little flubs, it was a great-looking episode. But what do you expect from Toei? This episode's plot is that in the year 2006, the Netherlands is the most violent nation on Earth, with roving bands of French destroying windmills with grenades, and old ladies having to defend themselves and their gardens with laser pistols. And the police, ill-equipped, can't do anything, and eventually turn to the Autobots. The highlight of the episode is the fight between Metroplex and Trypticon, which had some really, really good animation. Unlike AKOM, Toei puts effort into their animation. Overall, a really nice episode with a surprisingly-sane Galvatron (he even sounded concerned in the scene where they test Metroplex's transformation cog in Trypticon, sounding so calm you can definitely tell its Frank Welker voicing him).

* * *

**November 11, 1986**

Things seem to be getting out of hand. There are unconfirmed reports from neutral freighters that the twelve star systems that the Decepticons had conquered were now under the control of another race. We don't know who this species is, but it explains why the Decepticons have gone back to the old ways. They still have Decepticon City, but now they've started building energon refineries (they were evicted from Cybertron, and have no other place to send the energon, so I guess they're just collecting energon to get by and continue their operations here on Earth).

As a result, the war has started heating up once more, with the bulk of the fighting happening between the Special Teams. The Tank Squad, Air Force, and Mini-Soldiers are also seeing active duty on a daily basis. Power-wise, the Autobots and Decepticons are about level, the most powerful Autobot weapon being Metroplex, while the most powerful Decepticon weapon is, of course, Trypticon.

Back in the cartoon, today's episode was called "The Quintesson Journal". Aaaaand we're back to AKOM's crap, with the usual bad art and coloring errors. The main plot involves a piece of Quintesson technology that could bring peace between two warring worlds. Of course, this being Quintesson technology, the Quints themselves get involved. I really have nothing much to say about this episode.

* * *

**November 12, 1986**

The Decepticons are at it again, this time attacking and occupying Seattle (by now, all of the major cities in the world have been built by the model-making club). The Battle of Seattle is on! Since we have Cybertron, pulling together resources won't take long.

Formulating a plan, though, is another matter. At this time, Prowl has laid down the following options:

A. The Direct Approach Plan, involving assaulting the Decepticons from all directions using brute force. This option wouldn't take long to put together, and would effectively create a noose around the Decepticons that we would slowly tighten. This plan doesn't involve much planning, and is the most direct and quickest option. Unfortunately, it carries the threat of major losses and collateral damage to the city.

B. The Surgical Strike Plan, involving a series of strikes against important strategic targets, such as energon, refineries, military installations, and defenses. To be carried out by all Autobots with aircraft vehicle modes (IE Jetfire, the Autobot Air Force, the Aerialbots, Scattershot, and Strafe, with Whirl, Springer, and Sandstorm for tactical support), this plan is aimed at disrupting Decepticon operations and resources, potentially forcing Starscream to call a retreat. The main danger of this plan comes from Seekers and Sweeps intercepting the strategic bombing phase, which means they may need escort, or the Air Force will have to be the shifted to a tactical role.

C. The Commando Plan, involving inserting a strike team of Mini-Vehicles into Seattle and destroy vital strategic targets. Similar in principle to the Surgical Strike Plan, a commando team led by Bumblebee would be covertly inserted into Seattle via air drop, Of all the plans, this would require the most planning in order to pinpoint targets for destruction, but it also carries the lowest risk because of how skilled the commando team would be.

D. The Anti-Matter Plan, suggested by the fanatic named Wheelie (visiting from Cybertron), who thinks that since Starscream is there, along with the majority of the Decepticon command structure, what better way to end the war than with one fell swoop? Optimus immediately rejected it, mainly because if they went through with it, the humans would go to war with them. Wheelie just sulked, and left the war room.

There is considerable debate as to which plan will be used, so for the time being, the people of Seattle have been told to flee the city however they can.

On the cartoon front, we had an episode that...should have aired on Monday, not today, because it clearly leads into yesterday's episode, "The Quintesson Journal". Called "The Big Broadcast of 2006", the episode...was a mess. Not only was it animated by AKOM and thus had the usual coloring errors, it's clear the episode was butchered in editing. I have nothing more to say about this episode.

* * *

**November 13, 1986**

A decision was reached regarding the strategy for retaking Seattle. After careful consideration, it was decided to go with the Commando Plan, as the Direct Approach Plan would lead to too many Autobot casualties, while the Surgical Strike Plan would require more aerial Autobots than we have (and we can't trust Swoop to be so precise).

With the selection process complete, Bumblebee began choosing his team. Of course, Hornet would be his second-in-command on any mission, let alone never leave his side.

Brawn was immediately chosen due to being the resident demolitions expert. Outback and Pipes were chosen as gunners, efficient, cold-lubricated gunners. Swerve, as a metallurgist, was needed in order to figure out the type of explosive Brawn would need. Hubcap would be needed to receive communications from Autobot City, such as orders, warnings, and other misc. information. And finally, Gears was needed to haul Brawn's explosives, a job he did not take kindly to!

The Commando Team would fly to Seattle aboard Jetfire, and then paradrop in discreetly. Any Decepticons they encountered were to be killed on-sight, with Outback and Pipes using silenced wrist-blasters (I know they use actual guns in the cartoon and comics, but aside from Warpath, they don't come with weapons, so me and Katie had to improvise by saying they have wrist-blasters).

The operation began...right after the new episode of the cartoon. Today's episode was called..."Only Human". The plot involves some crime lord named Victor Drath transferring the minds of Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, Springer, and Arcee into "synthoid human bodies".

...

WHAT THE F*CK?! Was it...really someone's dream to humanize the Autobots? And let's not forget Drath's associate, known only as "Old Snake". Anyone with ears, though, could figure out really early on that it's actually Cobra Commander from "GI Joe"!

You know what? I give up. No, really, I give up! They can't be this stupid, they just can't! At least they get their old bodies back by episode's end, and it ends with Old Snake shouting the old "Cobra!" war-cry, only to cough. The whole premise itself was also a nice throwback to last season, namely the episode "Autobot Spike", in which Bumblebee asks what would happen if an Autobot's mind was put into a human body.

After the new episode, Operation: Space Needle was put into effect. The Commando Team paradropped from Jetfire and landed without being detected. Once on the ground and disposed of the parachutes, the team began going to the first target: Refinery #1. Guarded by five tanks, Outback and Pipes made short work of them, then hid the bodies. Gaining access to the refinery via a Door Breach Maneuver, all Decepticons within were killed, and the charges planted. Several minutes after exiting the plant, Brawn detonated the charges, creating a massive fireball visible all around the city. Continuing to evade detection, the Commando Team made a beeline for the next target, methodically taking out Decepticons along the way.

Eventually, after three hours of stealthy maneuvering, explosives, and Gears' whining, the Commando Team was extracted by Jetfire, leaving the Decepticons in disarray, their entire energon harvesting operation destroyed. Starscream knew the Autobots were responsible, he just didn't know how they did it.

There was one irrefutable truth, though. The whole operation was ruined. By the time they could rebuild it, the Autobots would long have swept through and wiped them out. Therefore, Starscream had no choice but to order a full withdrawal from Seattle, with whatever energon they could scrounge up. He snarled as the retreat began, cursing Optimus Prime's name. This victory went to the Autobots...

* * *

**November 14, 1986**

You'll never believe what happened today. Starscream was so angry, he went out of his skull (or whatever the inner part of a robot's head is called) and launched an aerial assault on Autobot City. It...was an attack comparable to the Charge of the Light Brigade. Thanks to the ample anti-air defenses of the city, the Seekers and Sweeps assaulting the city were absolutely SHREDDED. And I mean all of them. There wasn't a single Decepticon survivor in what is now known as the "Autobot City Massacre".

As for the cartoon, today's new episode was called "Grimlock's New Brain". In this episode, Grimlock bites something that increases his intelligence exponentially. What can I say about this episode? The production values are spectacularly low across the board, with choppy animation, poor artwork, the shot blocking frequently cuts off characters, characters are off-model, voice-processing is inconsistent, the visual effects are goofy, the story doesn't make much sense, and to cap it all off, it can all be laid at the feet of AKOM!

HOWEVER, the episode wasn't all bad. The first members of the 1987 assortment have appeared. And, to neither myself nor Katie's surprise, it's the Technobots and Terrorcons. While the Terrorcons get no origin (they just sort of...appear, all of a sudden), we learn that the Technobots were created by Grimlock in a way similar to how Wheeljack built him and the Dinobots. He even needs to do something to make the Technobots more intelligent, though in this case, it's at the cost of his intelligence. Then we get one final battle between Computron (who sounds really cool) and Abominus, which of course Computron wins.

Me and Katie already have the Technobots and Terrorcons courtesy of Suki via their _Scramble City_ subline in Japan, and unlike the toys we're getting here in the States, the toys in Japan don't have various functions neutered, mainly missile launchers. Mr. Johnson can confirm that Hasbro changed these features for safety reasons.

* * *

**November 17, 1986**

The war is heating up again, as the Decepticons have attacked Kansas City, Missouri. The majority of the battle is an intense trench war, mainly fought between Mini-Troopers, Seekers, Sweeps, and Tanks. Fortunately, the Decepticons were pushed out of city limits in approx. ten minutes before much damage could be done (and what damage was done will be easily repaired by the Construction Team). They also didn't get much energon, and seem to be barely scraping by, so whatever we did in Seattle must have set them back.

In the end, the Decepticons were forced to fall back. We don't know where they went, but we suspect they're somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains.

Meanwhile, today's episode of the cartoon was called "Money is Everything". The plot involves Tom Sellick-I'm sorry, Dirk Manus, taking some device to the Quintessons. There are only ten Transformers in this (five Autobots, five Decepticons), and they happen to be the Technobots and Terrorcons, no one else. Overall, I have nothing much to say about this episode, other than that it was a decent episode animated by Toei.

I know, this was a short entry, but I didn't have much to work with today. I hope to have a bit more content tomorrow.

* * *

**November 18, 1986**

An event no one could anticipate occurred today. A hostile race of robots invaded Cybertron. The kicker? It wasn't the Decepticons, but an entirely different race. Who also transform.

They call themselves...

**THE GOBOTS**

They were the ones who evicted the Decepticons from the twelve star systems they had conquered, and were now here for the Sol System. Their leaders, Leader-1 and Cy-Kill, have vowed to exterminate all life on Earth and Cybertron.

Yes, we bought the entire GoBots line, but I'd like to see YOU try to build LEGO facsimiles of the Quintessons. Simply put, the GoBots are our version of the Quints, only much more xenophobic.

Fortunately, though, we left a good garrison on Cybertron, and the anti-matter missiles will definitely make the GoBots a bit more wary.

You may be asking yourself: who is controlling the GoBots? As in, within the wargame? With me as the Autobots, Katie as the Decepticons, and Belle as my helping hands, who is controlling this third faction?

It's actually Katie's best friend, Jenny Smith, a girl who, like many people you've met in this wargame thus far, also underwent the immortality procedure, is part of an uber-rich family, and is also a fan of _The Transformers_.

Let me tell you the story: on the day of the movie's release, me, Katie, and Belle were hanging out at Johnson's, mulling over the _He-Man_ toys and admiring the diorama in the Transformers section made up of 1984-85 toys. I just sat there looking at Optimus Prime face.

"This toy mocks me with his cruel indifference", I muttered. I was still sore about his death in the movie, and the resulting discontinuance of his toy in favor of Rodimus Prime.

Just then, Jenny walked up to us, inquiring about sitting in on a wargame session. We obliged, and she sat in on our version of the events of the movie. Having gotten a taste when she took control of Devastator during the part when he curbstomped Optimus, she was instantly hooked.

The day after the Autobots took control of Cybertron, Jenny approached me with a proposal: she wanted to enter the war as a third faction, though she feared it was too late. I said no, it was never too late, because this wargame could go on for an extremely long time. I asked about what faction she had in mind, and she said one word:

"GoBots"

I just stood there for a moment. Then I spoke.

"Hmm...", I thought, "that...that could actually work. Yeah...yeah that totally works! They can be a hostile faction at war with both the Autobots and Decepticons!"

Fortunately, me and Katie had acquired a few GoBots for use as set-dressing on the Cybertron set back in 1984. Since Cybertron had been cleaned up, I gave the GoBots toys we had to her, and she ran down to Johnson's to buy the rest of the toyline.

She needed a bit of time for the Autobots and Decepticons to settle into a predictable pattern and then, go in for the kil. Now was the time.

The Cybertron garrison was quickly overwhelmed, in spite of the massive barrage of lasers. Somehow, the gunners hit nothing! And before we knew it, the GoBots' landing craft had landed troops on the surface. At least three battle groups were formed, and based on intelligence gathered from a crew manifest aboard a crashed GoBots cruiser, these were their names:

Battle Group A was led by Cy-Kill, and consisted of Slicks, Fly Trap, Wrongway, Fitor, and Rest-Q (some of these names are horrible puns, mind you).

Battle Group B was led by Leader-1, and consisted of Turbo, Scooter, Crasher, Spoiler, and Small Foot.

Battle Group C was led by BuggyMan, and consisted of Spay-C (ugh...), Pathfinder, Scratch, Heat Seeker, and Pincher.

The rest of the GoBots landed on Earth and set in motion an event now known as the Miami Genocide.

We didn't truly know what was happening for some time, and when we did, Optimus Prime rushed straight to Miami with a contingent of Autobots. Starscream also responded, bringing a squad of Decepticons with him. Upon meeting in Miami, Optimus and Starscream declared a truce due to a greater threat.

Needless to say, we were MASSACRED on Cybertron, and fared little better on Earth. The GoBots would have succeeded at conquering Cybertron had it not been for Rodimus Prime unleashing the power of the Matrix. This destroyed much of the GoBots' generic forces (more on them later), and routed the GoBots, saving Cybertron from conquest. A full withdrawal from Earth soon followed.

But at what cost? The wisdom of the ancients contained within the Matrix was gone, all drained to stop the GoBots. It was still an artifact of great power, but not as much as before. And what's worse, in the fighting on Cybertron, a large crater had been formed by a crashing GoBots cruiser, many Mini-Troopers now lay dead, and Rodimus (now reduced back to Hot Rod), Kup, and Blurr were severely injured, with Ratchet forced to put them into safe mode.

On Earth, it wasn't much better. Miami...was gone. The entire city was levelled, all humans in the city were dead, and Optimus had no choice but to declare it a total loss. No amount of rebuilding by the Construction Team could ever bring back those who were killed simply for existing. The Decepticons beat a hasty retreat before Optimus could ask to borrow the Constructicons to salvage what they could, as Starscream could care less about humans. His beef was with the GoBots, who had not only stolen his territory, but also denied him a source of energon by destroying it. And he wouldn't accept Autobot help, either. He'd kill ALL of them, Autobot AND GoBot.

The wargame felt a bit slow lately, but the arrival of the GoBots has given us second wind. It's much more interesting now, and when the 1987 assortment arrives, it'll be a good day.

The good times extended into the cartoon. Today's episode was titled "Call of the Primatives". Let me sum up this episode in a few words:

HOLY CRAP. BEST. EPISODE. EVER.

We finally got the origins of Unicron: he was created by a genius named Primacron, who wanted to rid the universe of all other species and replace them with his own creations. But Unicron turned on him, and became the planet-devouring monster we all know and love.

Now, Primacron is back with a new creation: Tornedron, an energy-based being who drains energy from everything, even a whole planet.

A strange signal beckons all of the "primative" Transformers. They are: the Dinobots, Sky Lynx, Steeljaw, Ramhorn, Laserbeak, Ravage, Ratbat, two new cassettes for Soundwave who we've never met (one of a triceratops, the other a ceratosaur), the Predacons, and the Terrorcons.

OH. MY. GOD. This animation was...well, it was gorgeous! It was so gorgeous, I doubt Toei did it. And you know what? I was right! Mr. Johnson got on the horn with Sunbow, and they said they don't know who animated the episode.

The story was great, the animation was gorgeous, and overall, the episode was the best since "Webworld".

There was one flub I noticed, though: during the scene where Kup is alerting the Autobots on Cybertron, Jazz and Bumblebee are seen running in the background. That's alright, but then I noticed someone else in the background: Windcharger! He's supposed to be DEAD! Ah, well, this has happened before with Brawn and Huffer, so what am I complaining for?

* * *

**November 19, 1986**

The Construction Team was sent to Cybertron to assess the damage and carry out repairs. The crater was a permanent wound, but the skylines of Iacon could be rebuilt.

Oh, dammit! I forgot to talk about the generic GoBots yesterday!

Well, here it goes: the generics of the GoBot army are, as you'd expect, the bulk and Redshirts of the army. There are several types of generics that they use, all using normal GoBots toys (Jenny owns about 60 of each...oh boy):

The standard ground troops are tanks (represented using the character Treds), who are about on-par with the Decepticon Tanks. They also have heavier tanks (made from the character...Tank), of which Jenny has 20 of to represent their more expensive and heavier nature.

They even have a navy, something both the Autobots and Decepticons lack. They have a fleet of battleships (made from the character Man-O-War), as well as some submarines (made from the character Dive-Dive...UGH...those NAMES again!) which are reported to have started sinking human shipping and rumored to be carrying SLBMs with anti-matter payloads. If this is the case, then the subs will be Priority #1.

Their air force is massive, bigger than even the Decepticons'. Their planes are more specialized than the more all-purpose Seekers and Sweeps. For air superiority, they have NX-09 Starfighters (made from the character Mach-3), which outmatch the Seekers and Sweeps (they do seem to have a tactical disadvantage against the Autobot Air Force for some unknown yet convenient reason). For fast-attack bombing, they have the RT-3 Fighter-Bomber (made from the character Bad Boy), which fire volleys of missiles and then retreat before anti-air can take them out. They also have miniguns that are deadly vs ground forces. The MG-20 (made from the character Bullseye) is more a straightforward bomber, dropping a massive amount of plasma ordinance on both mobile and stationary targets in an attack we can only consider a "carpet bombing". The fact we spoted fifteen of them means the GoBots seek to use hoardes to punch through.

With all of this in mind, we have a very, very dangerous adversary in our midst. This shows in their army size, which indicates they have a massive amount of resources on hand, or a conscription system. Either way, we must ALWAYS. BE. VIGILANT.

Cosmos made an excursion around the Solar System to check on GoBot activity. The reports couldn't be any worse. They have bases on Mercury, Venus, Mars, multiple moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and asteroids in the asteroid belt. We're not sure what business they have on these planets, but Grapple's engineering expertise gave us some educated guesses:

Mercury, being so close to the sun, is being used as a solar power base, with solar panels on all sides of the planet due to Mercury's wonky 88-day orbital period that involves no rotation. Some sort of relay system beyond even Perceptor's understanding is clearly being used to send power.

Venus, as a furnace, is probably an active volcano planet, so they're using it to forge metal for new troops and weapons.

Mars is a practically a mine waiting to be exploited. And surprise, surprise, they've set up an ore mining operation.

Who knows what's on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, though they may have a limited steelmaking operation on Io, a moon known to have active volcanic activity. Titan, a moon of Saturn that actually has an atmosphere, is probably being used as an outpost.

The Construction Team, henceforth, has been given a new task: build shipyards in orbit around Cybertron. We need a fleet of spacefaring warships to go toe-to-toe with the GoBots.

Meanwhile, on Earth, the Decepticons attacked Los Alamos National Laboratory, in hopes of finding any technology that would give them a leg up over the Autobots and GoBots. They weren't able to get their servos on anything before Bumblebee showed up with Hornet, Brawn, Cliffjumper, Windcharger, and Pipes. The thieves (Thundercracker, Skywarp, Sunstorm, and Nacelle) were outgunned and outnumbered, and forced to retreat. Starscream was NOT happy with them!

On the cartoon front, today's episode was called "The Burden Hardest to Bear". This was a really well-written and well-animated episode. I especially liked the animation, due to how well-illustrated it was, with lots of deep, detailed shading and well-proportioned characters. As for the plot, it goes something like this: the Decepticons take a sudden interest in attacking Japan (Godzilla's stomping grounds), and the Autobots respond. However, the Prime Minister is NOT happy with the battles, saying they scared many people, chased off many tourists, and caused alot of disruption. Rodimus, though, states that had they not arrived, the Decepticons would have killed people and destroyed stuff, but the Prime Minister is a stubborn son of a bitch.

As the episode goes on, Scourge steals the Matrix of Leadership, and presents it to Galvatron. However, he's unable to do anything with it, as the spirits of ancient Autobots (and good ol' Optimus Prime) demand that he return it. Galvatron wants it destroyed, but Scourge, being this season's Starscream, instead inserts the Matrix into himself and becomes...um...mutated. He successfully mutinies against Galvatron and Cyclonus and takes the Decepticons back to Earth...to attack Japan again. Sheesh, was Moscow too well-defended for you?

Anyway, the episode ends with, of course, Hot Rod getting the Matrix back and a pissed-off Galvatron chasing Scourge. Good stuff.

* * *

**November 20, 1986**

The GoBots lashed out at Earth again, this time attacking San Francisco. Their loss, because they had no idea of the defenses we installed when we rebuilt the city following the Battle of San Francisco. The myriad of fighters and bombers were absolutely SHREDDED in seconds, the wreckage vaporized against the shield.

That was the saddest attack I've ever seen, Jenny. You can do better!

As for the cartoon, according to Mr. Johnson, this is the last episode of 1986. After that, the series will be on hiatus until the two-part season finale in February 1987. I can wait. Also according to him, this is AKOM's final third season episode. GOOD.

Not that this was a BAD episode, as it was rather good. Called "The Face of the Nijika", the episode has only a few Cybertronians (five Autobots and two Decepticons), plus some Quintessons and Sharkticons. Of course, such a small cast makes for more interesting stories. And this episode has some really nice writing. The Autobots crash-land on a planet called Zamojin, which has been sealed behind a quadrant lock. The reason: the Quintessons felt so threatened by them, they saw it fit to stop their technological progress by sabotaging their first rocket launch. For five thousand years, the people of Zamojin were deprived of the sight of the stars.

The planet and everything on it possess an incredibly dense molecular structure. A bunch of trees were able to withstand a crashing Sky Lynx, while the Zamojin themselves were able to actually damage a pair of Sharkticons. Jesus! These are some REALLY tough people!

We also learn something very interesting: the Autobots' insignias are removable (this is an important plot-point, people), and a Zamojin blacksmith named Katsu Don (yeah, these are technologically-advanced aliens living in a pastiche of the Edo Period of Japan) removes Perceptor's insignia and puts on the titular Nijika, a small android made to look like a woman in a kimono.

This episode really did a good job building its own mythology, something other episodes this season have done. But, we'll have to wait until the two-part season finale in February. We have zero information on this episode. Mr. Johnson even called Sunbow, and they were cloak-and-dagger on the subject. Whatever they're planning is BIG. What could it be, I wonder? The 1987 assortment being introduced en masse? Starscream's revenge on Galvatron? Or better yet: the resurrection of Optimus Prime? That last one would make my day.

* * *

**November 29, 1986**

The Mini-Vehicles have begun pursuing the Decepticons that attacked Kansas City eastward into the mountains. Whatever they're doing is not good, with reports of them raiding coal mines coming in, not to mention plundering coal trains (the railroads are NOT happy with Astrotrain ramming their trains head-on) and ransacking coal plants, all for energon or to fuel the energon refineries that now dot the country.

The Appalachians aren't the only place they're attacking for coal. The Powder River Basin in Wyoming is under Decepticon occupation, and we'd need a sizeable strike force to clear them out and allow the railroads to access them again (at least the western roads don't have to contend with Astrotrain). Coal mining operations in Arizona, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Utah are also under occupation, and we have a feeling that the Decepticons intend to use these surface mines as staging grounds to attack population centers in that general area such as Phoenix, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Albaquerque, Salt Lake City, Billings, Fargo, and perhaps even targets in Canada and Mexico (Denver, having been rebuilt to Cybertronian standards, is at no risk, since the Decepticons already plundered it, with us Autobots being the losers of that battle).

We absolutely CANNOT allow this war to become an international conflict, as so far, we've done a very, very good job containing the fighting to the United States. But we all know, deep down, the the conflict will eventually go global, and we fear the impact this will have on not only the humans, but also on the economy, governments, biosphere, and atmosphere. Because if/when the war goes global, scores of species could go extinct, the human population could be reduced to medieval levels, and enough damage could be done to the atmosphere to make the planet uninhabitable for carbon-based life.

We need reinforcements and we need them NOW. We just don't know when...

* * *

**December 7, 1986**

Here on the 45th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, we the Autobots just pulled off our own version. Reports from Cosmos and Seaspray revealed that the GoBots Pacific Fleet was docked at an artificial island (once again, thank you to the model-making club; as for the ocean, it's one of the lakes on our property, which just added 200 acres for a grand total of 700 acres; those warbonds we bought to support the war the US is fighting in Africa right now is paying dividends already!) for resupply. Imaging by Cosmos revealed that the GoBots did indeed possess SLBMs with anti-matter MIRVs. That settled it!

Before I could go forward with the attack, though, I needed a quick infusion of troops. Heading down to Johnson's, I procured a few Powerglides to repaint them and add them to the Autobot Air Force. The four new members are Turbine (purple), Sidewinder (brown), Falcon (silver), and Tailfin (cyan). A few names I had tossed around while naming them include Condor (rejected to avoid confusion with Laserbeak's Japanese name; we do, after all, have Japanese readers on Usenet besides Suki), Landing Gear (sounded stupid), Mach-5 (redundant because of the GoBot Mach-3, and taken by _Speed Racer_), and Air Raid (before I the Aerialbot of the same name).

With the new members bringing the Autobot Air Force up to eleven-strong, the operation began in earnest. The Aerialbots, Jetfire, and the Jet-Type Powerdasher flew under their own power, while the Air Force was carried on Broadside's deck, ready to sortie.

Just like the real Pearl Harbor attack, we attacked suddenly and without notice. The GoBots were taken completely by surprise, and were unable to mount much of a defense as the Aerialbots combined to form Superion, destroying most of the ground-based GoBots. Jetfire and the Jet-Type Powerdasher bombed the airfield mercilessly, grounding much of the GoBots Air Force, though at least two fighters managed to get off the ground and engage the Air Force. They were no help, though, as the Autobot onslaught continued unabated.

Superion's main job was to destroy the GoBots naval forces. He mainly used his fists, but also blasted plenty of them. The entire thing came to a head when he approached Battleship Row, and shot the ordinance depot, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed most of the battleships. At least two survived unharmed, and transformed to take on the Autobot Combiner to no avail, as they were gunned down and cast asunder into the Pacific waters.

Eventually, Sky Lynx arrived with reinforcements in the form of the Dinobots and Protectobots, the latter of whom immediately formed Defensor and joined Superion in destroying the artificial island, while the Dinobots thrashed the ground-based GoBots.

It was as beautiful a sight as I'm making it out to be. The missiles were eventually found and confiscated, and it would seem the GoBots had quite the operation here, with horizontal integration buildings, a crawler-transport/crane to get the missiles to the subs, and a fuel depot to transfer fuel to the missiles.

The operation went perfectly. All GoBots forces were killed, while we suffered zero casualties. Just as the last few GoBots were finished off, a few Decepticons arrived, but then they saw the wreckage, and knew the Autobots were still on a "killing high", so they retreated. When Starscream found out about the anti-matter missiles, he contacted Optimus Prime and reaffirmed his commitment to removing all anti-matter weaponry from Earth. Therefore, he offered to help dispose of the weapons and missiles, which Optimus accepted.

This has been quite a day for the Autobots, with a textbook victory and one more existential threat removed from Earth. I bet Leader-1 is PISSED right now!

* * *

**December 25, 1986**

Merry Christmas, all! Me and Katie got quite the haul this year, ranging from some new NES games (including _Excitebike_, _Ice Climber_, and _1942_), and the Transformers movie on VHS. The holy grail, though, was a toy from our European contact, Arthur Williams, yet another person who underwent the immortality process and is insanely rich. Though he lives in Suffolk, England, he makes a trip around England a few times a year to check out all the toys, and as luck would have it, in 1984, much of the _Diaclone_ line was imported to Italy as "Trasformer" (no lie); last year, though, GiG (the company that had . So when he went to Venice in mid-1984, he bought a few of the "Trasformer" toys that hadn't been released in the United States. We were able to identify this toys using a _Diaclone_ catalog that Suki sent us in 1984.

The toy was the No. 2 Helicopter Type. I gave this toy to Katie as a Decepticon, and she named the character "Fumes".

Belle got me a copy of the production bible for the cartoon, which reveals some VERY interesting things, such as the fact that Swoop was originally named "Divebomb", Blaster was originally named "Blastbox", Jetfire had to be named "Skyfire" in the cartoon for legal reasons, probably with Bandai and the _Robotech_ toyline, there was a big note in Reflector's entry that said "TOY DISCONTINUED, DO NOT USE", explaining his absence after the first season (his toy was never released until this year, but even then, it was only as a mail-away), Buzzsaw was marked for "occassional use", which I don't doubt, since he already comes with Soundwave and thus wouldn't need to be shilled, and that "Starscream's Brigade" was originally named "30 Seconds over Megatron. Also in the bible were a list of episodes that would feature the new toys as the stars, alot of which never seemed to actually come to fruition, as well as mentioning a new Autobot command center named "Fortress Maximus". I wonder if they meant Metroplex, or if that part was referring to the 1987 assortment. Hmm...

Something I should also note is that lately, I've been noticing that Katie and Jenny have been...alot closer lately. Something's going on between them, I just don't know what. If it is what I think it is, I will NOT discriminate.

But I digress. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

* * *

**January 1, 1987**

1987 is here, and has started with a bang! It wasn't even ten minutes past midnight and the Decepticons were already starting crap by attacking the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. If they were planning to do what they did to Three Mile Island (which would destroy San Clemente and release a massive amount of lethal radiation affecting much of Southern California and even Las Vegas), we had to stop them immediately!

Starscream was personally overseeing the planting of the charges, while Soundwave was pumping out energon cubes and placing them in a special containment unit that would allow them to catch the energy from the explosion without being blown away. Also on-hand were Thundercracker, Skywarp, Ramjet, Dirge, Thrust, Laserbeak, Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy, Ratbat, Buzzsaw, the Insecticons, the Constructicons, all three Triple Changers, and some Seekers and Tanks.

Optimus Prime himself led the Autobot charge, and brought with him all three Autobot Triple Changers, the Tank Squad, the Aerialbots, Roadbuster, Whirl, Jetfire, Blaster (with all four of his cassettes), and Brawn (to defuse the explosives).

In short, the operation went off without a hitch. Brawn defused all of the charges, Superion sent Devastator packing, and Blaster soundly walloped Soundwave. There was a brief shock when a new Decepticon Triple Changer named Fumes arrived, but he, along with the other Decepticons, went into full retreat.

And so, Southern California was saved.

* * *

**February 24, 1987**

That was probably the longest gap between entries EVER! Sorry, guys, but you trying fighting a two-front war with the Decepticons and GoBots.

Back in November, Mr. Johnson said the cartoon would return in February 1987. It returned today for the two-part season finale, titled..."The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1".

Wait...what? Could it be? The nation's collective outcry actually did something?!

...

_**YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS! HE'S BAAAAAAAAAAACK!**_

And unlike "Dark Awakening", they don't tease us. He's pretty much back for good!

The episode begins with a group of scientists testing a new alloy that is resistant to both heat and radiation aboard a ship called the _Solaris_. They soon find a ship adrift with Optimus Prime's body aboard.

This is where a major continuity snarl comes up. In "Dark Awakening", Optimus looked pretty torn apart. Here? Immaculate condition! Also, his ship is a completely different design, which can be attributed to "Dark Awakening" and this episode being animated by different studios ("Awakening" by AKOM, and this episode by Toei). Perhaps...when he rammed that ship into the Quintesson battle fleet, it created a wormhole that sent Optimus here, also altering both his appearance (repairing him the process) and the appearance of the ship.

Well, anyway, we find out one of the scientists (named Gregory Swofford) has a beef with the Transformers; namely, his face was scarred in a fight between Optimus Prime and Megatron (and lo and behold, we actually see this fight; good to see Megatron again). But another scientist, Jessica Morgan, wants to save Optimus' body before his ship crashes into a planetoid in the vicinity of star fit to go supernova. So, they do, and discover some strange, glowing-red spores on their ship's hull.

Back on Earth, Jessica's father, Mark Morgan, finds out that the spores are not only alive, but also an incredibly contageous viral agent that induce hatred and homicide. Their research is rudely interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Terrorcons, who are after the alloy because Galvatron said so. Of course, this being a show made to advertise toys, the Technobots are obligated to put in an appearance. In their fighting, Jessica is gravely injured by falling debris, leading to Gregory convincing Mark to use Optimus' body as a carrier for the spores to exact revenge on the entire Transformers race, to which he agrees.

Yeah, uh, not a good idea, guys.

We're introduced to what I can assume are a few 1987 newcomers, the Throttlebots, composed of Chase, Freeway, and Searchlight (since they seem to be a new set of Mini-Vehicles, I assume there's more of them). So, anyway, they go to the laboratory with Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, the Aerialbots, and the Protectobots to recover Optimus' body so he can be properly laid to rest, but they have sprung the trap, and all but Rodimus are infected with the "Hate Plague".

Meanwhile, Ratbat overhears the conversation between Rodimus and Magnus, and returns to Soundwave (whose voice sounds weird here). With this information in-hand, Galvatron sets off with some Decepticons to take out Optimus once and for all.

Gregory and Mark's plan was not well-thought, as the Hate Plague spreads to humans as well, causing riots in DC (and Defensor throwing the Washington Monument at a building!), and eventually, it somehow starts spreading to other star systems.

After powering down Metroplex (if he were infected, it would be a nightmare), Rodimus asks Wreck-Gar if the Junkions can fix Optimus, to which he says they can't (using _Star Trek_ quotes). Left with no other option, Rodimus informs Sky Lynx that they need a Quintesson to bring back Optimus, before he himself is infected.

Sky Lynx does find a Quintesson being chased by Hate Plague-infected Sharkticons, and the Quintesson agrees to repair Optimus, if it will stop the Hate Plague. Back at Autobot City, the Quintesson makes good on his promise, and as the episode ends, we hear these words:

QUINTESSON: I've done it! Optimus Prime lives!

SKY LYNX: It's true. Our leader is back.

OPTIMUS PRIME: Yes, Sky Lynx, and this time, no force in the universe can stop me.

...

That, my friends, is the meaning of life.

* * *

**February 25, 1987**

The second and final part of "The Return of Optimus Prime", as well as the third season finale, aired, and things couldn't be better!

At the outset, we get a recap of the first part, and soon, we find out just how severe the Hate Plague truly is, with multiple Autobots, including Kup, Blurr, Wheelie, Steeljaw, Blaster, and Bumblebee being damaged by Superion, but fortunately, the Quintesson fixes them. The damage to Bumblebee, though, was so extensive, he needed a new body. This is Goldbug, the upgraded form of Bumblebee (still voiced by Dan Gilvezan).

This will NOT affect the wargame. Bumblebee and Goldbug will be separate characters.

Anyway, Optimus wastes no time getting back into the swing of things, saying his old "transform and roll out" catchphrase.

I gotta say, the animation in the first part was subpar for Toei, but in this episode, it's some of the best in the series to date. There was alot of deep shading, the pink-glowing-smoke explosions from the movie were back, and characters were well-drawn and on-model.

During the course of the episode, Optimus meets Galvatron, and indicates he is aware that Galvatron was once Megatron. Through a series of events and a thrilling fight between Optimus and a crazed Rodimus, the former manages to extract the Matrix and "light their darkest hour", completely destroying the Hate Plague and even repairing Galvatron's logic circuits. But in the process, the Matrix is drained of the wisdom of the ancients. WHAT. THE. That's like in our wargame when Rodimus used the Matrix to stop the GoBots invasion of Cybertron!

On another note, Optimus is back to being leader of the Autobots, and Rodimus is back to being Hot Rod. THANK. GOD. One of the best moments, though, comes when Galvatron comes up to Optimus...and shakes his hand.

"There will be no war today, Optimus Prime. You have earned Galvatron's respect."

Truer words have never been spoken.

This was a really good day. Optimus Prime is back and here to stay (even though he has no toy out right now; this was all a result of an angry letter-writing campaign), and a few new characters to look forward to in the toyline have been introduced. All is right with the world.


End file.
